Dusk 'til Dawn
by sweetprincipale
Summary: S. 5, A powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep enemies away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, given that he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. His actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more. Challenge response.
1. Chapter 1

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. His actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that. Written as a response to Challenge Month at Elysian Fields archive._

 _Author's Note: My first ever response to a challenge, so I hope you'll be understanding. It's written for the October challenge month at the Elysian Fields Dark Solace archive. The full challenge description can be found at the end of the chapter. I'm going to play with it a bit, because I just can't leave stuff alone ;)_

 _Dedicated to: The Spuffy community who continues to read and encourage creativity and new plots and twists for our favorite heroes._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part I**

"Take Dawn and Mom and go someplace safe. Do it quick, and do it like- like what's that word, incognito?" Buffy paced, and Giles nodded as she hit upon the right term.

"What will _you_ do?" The Watcher frowned.

"Keep Glory and her little scabs busy and get the guys to keep popping over to the house and act like they're visiting, and basically run interference. Then you get back."

"Buffy, I don't think that there is a safer place than here, with you. The only way this would work is if you left as well. You're supposed to protect the Key-"

"My _sister_." Buffy corrected sharply.

"Exactly." Giles put a placating hand on her arm. "If Glory catches wind that they've moved, she'll head there, and you might not be able to follow in time. Any drastic change in the routine might attract her attention. Right now she doesn't know where the Key is, but if we suddenly whisk off two members of the Slayer's household, don't you think it'll raise red flags?"

"Probably." Buffy let his hand fall and paced the limited floor space in her Watcher's living room that wasn't covered by books and coffee cups. She finally stopped, head to the wall, hands in fists.

"We will find a way." Giles spoke softly.

"Yeah. That way is called kicking all the asses I can." Buffy's fists suddenly went through the wall. Angry and embarrassed, feeling out of control both physically and emotionally, she abruptly muttered, "Gotta go."

Giles stared after the woman running from his house. Calling her back would be useless. _Running might be our only option, but then it must be all of us, together. No pawns have to be left on the board fro Glory to use…_

He sighed. They could have discussed such a thing, but Buffy was not in a "listening mood". Understandable. She wanted action after feeling helpless. Unable to fight her mother's cancer, unable to beat Glory past a bloody draw, unable to stop Riley from his infidelity, and his abandonment. Giles suspected all those things were just fuel for one emotion at the moment, simple, primal rage. He felt bad he couldn't ease the pain or end it, felt like as a Watcher he should have been able to make her stay and work out something definitive.

As a friend and a father, he knew sometimes one just needs to unleash. He almost pitied the evil populace foolish enough to be found that night.

"She was too upset to plan. She'll go slay something, beat it to a pulp before dispatching it. Maybe get some useful information out of it as well." He went to the sideboard and after a moment pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "You clear your head your way, I'll clear my head mine."

* * *

 _I think Giles would say this is "rash"._ Buffy tore through the demons in front of her, barely feeling the blows they inflicted. _I've been outnumbered before._ _Sure. Six to one. Maybe more. This is- how many are there? They all look the same and can't count now, busy._

 _Yeah, that's a bad sign. When you lose track of how many there are and you just keep fighting on an "as needed" basis,-_ she broke the jaw of one, turned to the left and put her foot through the solar plexus of another- _you're in deep trouble. 'Cause you're just taking on immediate threats and you stop- being- aware…_

Anger cooled with surprising rapidity as she realized what she'd allowed to happen. A wave of sickness at her own foolishness flooded her. _I'm the only one who can protect her and I just let myself get into this situation where I could-_ She stopped that horrifying train of thought, keenly aware of the position her rage and desire for a good fight had put her in, and focused on getting out of it. Y _ou have to make it out, and get out quick, Dawn needs you._

"Yeah, this has been fun, but…" another series of blows traded and she tried to regain perspective. Four. Four of them and she couldn't check her back or past her periphery right now, busy putting them down but unable to keep all of them down at once. "I think I've gotta run, boys. Girls? Sorry, hard to tell with the wardrobe." All of them had long black hair, pale, flat faces, and wore long black tunics with tattered robes over them. _Kind of like a "bad KISS rejects meeting grim reaper" motif._ "Little lipstick might help. If you _are_ girls. I mean- if you're into make up." Bantering helped. She hadn't been bantering before, just diving in, animalistic and furious, nothing more than growls and snarls, grunts and pants that came involuntarily with fighting. Verbal sparring bought time, threw them off, gave her space between punches to move the field of battle back, further into the clearing, less into the forest off campus where she'd found them.

 _And that's kind of odd_. She thought belatedly that she'd pursued a pair of demons from cemetery to campus to woods without them turning to fight until they reached this area. _Where their buddies happened to be waiting. Which means we're in their stronghold. Not mine. Shit._

 _If I get out of this, I'm getting such a lecture from Giles._

"Don't leave yet." A voice behind her rasped.

She whirled, she parried, and something sharp stabbed her in the back followed by a searing wetness plastering through her clothes. _Decoy. I fell for that. They surrounded me and I fell for …_

 _I'm falling._

 _What's going on?_ She unknowingly repeated the question out loud.

"Feeling weak? Don't worry, it's temporary."

Another rasp, or the same one, she was having trouble keeping track of faces and voices now, trying to recover her balance. And they weren't coming at her anymore. _This is bad._ "What…?"

"The potion wears off in a night or so. And you'll be dead before then. Hence, temporary."

 _They drugged me. They stabbed me with a needle or… No. It's worse._ Her entire back was wet, saturated, but not only with blood, she could tell as she moved her hand across the fabric.

"Humans and their silly circulatory systems. Once it's in your bloodstream, every area is effected."

With a burst of strength, Buffy threw herself into the space where only one demon stood, the decoy who had been relatively harmlessly behind her, bowled him over, and ran. They didn't even chase her.

 _That's so, so not good_. She knew from long experience that you only chase something if you think you need to run to catch it or cut it off. She heard words that confirmed it, coming a short distance behind her.

"Let her go. She can only make it a short distance before she collapses. An unconscious Slayer is easier to kill, and then Glory's bounty is ours. Where the Lei-Ach fail, we succeed, and we simultaneously avenge our distant cousins."

 _Thought they looked kind of familiar. But no color. And no real noses. That's freaky. Why am I thinking about this now?_

 _Because I'm losing my ability to think and run at the same time._

 _Because I'm going to faint. And then I'm going to die. I haven't felt like this since … since my 18th birthday! Double, triple shit!_ Buffy suddenly realized what they must've hit her with. _Gotta get to Giles._

 _That leads them to him. No. No, and I might not be able to walk that far anyway._ She realized that what had happened to her before was gradual. This wasn't some slow, "you won't even notice until it's too late" dosage. This was God knew how much, how fast. Buffy tried not to panic _. Keep calm. Plan. Gotta get to… someplace else, where I'm safe, or at least buy some time. It wears off in a night…_ They must have given her shorter, but swifter dose. _Can't go home tonight._ She cursed herself for being so hot headed and eager to take out her anger at feeling powerless against a "god" that she'd played right into the hands of one of her pawns.

Buffy looked ahead of her and planned her best option. Someplace where they'd have to work to find her, close enough that she could get there fast, far enough not to put any family members or friends in close proximity to the group hunting her. _Five. Now I know there are five, but at least two aren't going to be much trouble for awhile._ She recalled the cracks her fists and feet had made against various parts and knew she'd inflicted a few broken bones.

 _Okay, okay, old Initiative grounds are back near the forest, touching campus. Cemetery- I can get to Restfield this way, can hide out in one of the crypts… find one with a tunnel entrance nearby so when they get close I pop down, then double back. Get out of sight._ She paused to catch her breath and heard heavy footsteps a few yards back. She needed to fool them, throw them off, and the sooner the better before the drugs completely saturated her system. _Probably have ten to twenty minutes left, if it's like other meds I've taken, working in thirty minutes or less. Even if not, it's the best I have to go on._

* * *

A zig there, a zag here, then out along the road and walking against the glare of headlights. Buffy was aware of cursing behind her as her assailants hung back, avoiding exposure to more human eyes. Across the street like a shadow, she was lost in the passing of a bus and the quick shimmy of her slim figure down a storm drain. She didn't think for a moment that she lost them, only that she had a temporary stay of _execution. The tunnels are a really bad place to go right now. It's like the demon subway down here. Well, not as crowded, but anyone I run into down here is going to be a demon._

 _But at night they come to the surface, so I can probably avoid a fight. I mean_ another _fight. On top of the fight I'm already having._

She was tempted to sit down and just wallow in the epic-nes of the crappy train of events, and do some self-berating. _Better wallow while I walk, sitting down might equal getting caught._ She let out a muffled groan, checking over her shoulder. _Great time to go postal. Not on a big snake this time, but on guys with slow-down-a-slayer drugs and ties to Glory._

She sped up, but quickly found herself reducing speed. Still moving at what could be considered a normal pace, but the Slayer speed was gone. Strength probably was too. _If I don't get above ground soon, I might be stuck here all night- or until they find me. Because I don't think normal girl strength can lift a man hole cover above her head or kick out a storm grate…_

 _I think I need help._

 _Fast._

 _Help that can take these guys and not put my friends in danger. This is when it's nice to have a supernaturally strong boyfriend for back up_. She had a fleeting vision of Angel. _Or at least one who had some decent fighting skills and equipment._ She was treated to a longer, more bitter thought of her recently departed, demon fighting ex.

 _God damn, Riley. You couldn't have faked being happy for a couple more weeks?_

 _Spike couldn't have waited to show me your new little vampire playmate until things were a little better?_

Her steps faltered. _Hm. I was going to head that way anyhow, right?_

 _I hate needing back up. But…_

 _Who owes me more favors ?_

Hesitation marred that thought. _Who wouldn't love to leave me helpless with a pack of unchipped buddies and watch them do what he can't?_

She paused, coming to a fork in the dark tunnel, Slayer eyesight also beginning to let her down. Buffy did a mental map, said a prayer and hoped her bad luck was going to take a little break.

 _He who hesitates is lost, and I'm definitely heading towards "misplaced."_ She sighed and then jumped as she heard a grate opening far behind her. She began to jog silently in the dark. _It's a total gamble_. Buffy took a turn that would lead her towards the cemetery. _Good thing I know where to find a poker player._

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

 _The Challenge, as given by Mia Vaan- Trapped : During season 5_ _–_ _after_ _"_ _Into the Woods_ _"_ _but before_ _"Crush" –_ _Buffy has a run in with a demon and somehow can_ _'_ _t access her powers. She_ _'_ _s injured and helpless. Spike helps her escape the demons hunting her._

 _Somehow they end up underground and trapped. Buffy can_ _'_ _t fight back, and Spike can. The pair and the demons stand at a stalemate, separated by a wall of rock Spike built for safety. The demons give Spike one chance: walk away. They know he hates the Slayer and wants her dead._

 _What makes things worse is that there_ _'_ _s a hole right at the top of their hiding space, meaning that when the sun comes up it will shine through and kill Spike. Buffy_ _'_ _s powers will eventually come back to her, but only after sunrise._

 _With all of this in mind, Buffy thinks that Spike will abandon her. But he doesn_ _'_ _t. He stays with her the whole time, never even considering the offer, ignoring the taunts from the demons and not explaining why to Buffy._

 _When the sun comes up and Spike still refuses to leave Buffy_ _'_ _s side, she begins to suspect why he_ _'_ _s staying with her. When her powers come back the two are able to fight their way out._

 _Things go pretty off-canon after that_ _…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: My first ever response to a challenge, so I hope you'll be understanding. It's written for the October challenge month at the Elysian Fields Dark Solace archive._

 _Dedicated to:WriterDragonfly, Illusera, RedStalkingDeath, Rin2004, and Angeljade7_

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part II**

It took her several tries before she found a grate loose enough and in the right direction, but Buffy finally emerged with a frantic gasp. Slayer eyesight and strength were definitely fading. The tunnel she'd just escaped from felt like it was closing in, swallowing her in darkness. She was relieved to be on the surface and a quick dart of her head revealed no immediate threats and the cemetery in the background.

 _I really hope he_ _'s home. If he's not, well, I guess I have a hideout for a little bit…_

* * *

Spike jumped when the heavy stone door creaked open slowly. He coiled instantly, hand reaching down into his boot. "Who the bloody hell is it?" He snarled when no one immediately appeared.

"It's me." Buffy shoved the door hard with her shoulder, finally getting it wide enough to allow her entrance, and winced as she all but fell into the room.

"So it is. You usually barge in like you own the place." Spike frowned.

"Yeah, I-"

"Hey. What's wrong with you?" Spike frowned and crossed the room to her before she could even start her explanation. "You just run a mile? No, that wouldn't even make you break a sweat." The thought of Buffy sweating suddenly flitted across his mind and froze his questions, giving the woman in front of him time to speak.

"Fighting. Bad guys. Drugged." She turned around, showing him her shirt back, wet and sticky. She tried to get her breathing back to normal, shutting the door tightly, as if that would keep the demons out.

"They _drugged_ you?" Spike's voice was unmistakably furious, his nostrils flared. "What were they trying to … Where were you, who are they?"

"If you shut up I can tell you!" Buffy snapped. _Probably shouldn_ _'_ _t snap at the guy you need to help you out._ "Sorry."

"You just apologized to me." Spike's fury was replaced with concern. "What the fuck did they give you?"

 _Here_ _'_ _s the gamble-y part._ Buffy hated this feeling. Feeling - not quite scared, but she was used to Spike being a harmless annoyance. Now he wouldn't have to hurt her at all, he could just sit back and do nothing, and watch her get hurt. "You ever hear of this test they give Slayers where they make them - um- weak? First? Then ask them to fight a vampire?"

Spike's eyes widened. "Wait- how old are you?"

Buffy shook her head at his interruption, "Okay, so you have heard of it."

"But I thought it was a comin' of age thing, you already-"

She interrupted impatiently. "I know, I already passed it when I was 18. These guys have the same drug. And they- they got me in the back." Again, turning halfway to gesture to the back of her stained shirt.

Spike nodded, stepping closer. "I'm sorry, Slayer."

She blinked. Apologizing was one thing she had not figured on hearing. Spike had to be desperate to say sorry for things _he_ _'_ _d_ done, let alone apologize for some other evil villain's actions.

 _Although, when mom got sick_ \- She remembered a rapid turn from threat of violence to sympathy and comforting. Buffy shook herself. "Yeah, well, not your fault. Mine. I went in angry, lost track- all the sloppy things that you said Slayers with the death wish do, Spike, but I seriously am in no mood to die." She licked her lips. "Mom and Dawn need me more than ever."

"Right, right." The vampire nodded in understanding.

Spike being less talkative than usual. No heavy snark, not a single smirk. Just looking, listening to her- completely unsettling. _Settle later, crisis now._ "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning but for tonight, I'm Ms. Average- maybe Ms. Average with a side of flu." Buffy wiped her forehead, a wave of tiredness hitting her.

"Got it, the slayer side is down for the night. What can I do?"

 _Wait. I didn_ _'_ _t even get to ask! I spent the whole last part of the walk figuring out how to ask!_ "Watch my back." She blurted. "Need to hide, need to keep them away from my house and my friends until this wears off. I can't fight demons but you can, so - I need-" The words "your help" stuck in her throat, but he whisked them away.

"Happy to help. How close were they?" Spike was a controlled bullet, moving swiftly through the crypt with rapid, darting motions. It took Buffy a few seconds to realize he was pulling on his coat and putting things into pockets and the lining.

"Uh- I lost them in the tunnels, I think. I don't know if they can tell where I went above ground or not."

"What kind of nasties we talking about?"

"Super pale, all in black, long hair that's never seen conditioner… No noses."

"Okay…" He seemed to be going through a mental catalogue of baddies that fit that description.

"Oh! They said something about avenging their cousins. The Lei-Ach, you remember them?"

"Yes, I bloody do." He growled and rubbed his jaw. Trying to fight a bunch of them right under her nose and she misses it. "Sounds like Aur-k'Ach. Mean. Arrogant bastards, too. But, good thing is they don't track by scent, they track by energy signature."

"That makes sense. No noses."

He nodded, rocking on the balls of his feet, eyes roving, mind whirring.

Buffy was impressed, quietly. He was good at this. He got out of tight scrapes for a century. She could almost see him spinning out different plans of action, rejecting them, and moving to the next one, all the while prepared to defend the home ground if forced into it.

 _Maybe I picked the right guy for help._

"All right. Your Slayer mojo's all messed up, yeah?"

"Try absent." Buffy grimaced.

"Good."

"Excuse me?" She yelped angrily.

"You give off a different energy as the Slayer with all her 'Chosen' goodness. Trust me on it." He smirked slightly.

 _Ah. There_ _'_ _s the cocky side. That just suggested I trust him. This night is just suck-tacular._ "So they can't find me?"

"They're gonna have a harder time. And they're going to have a real bad job of it now, 'cause you've got a demon with you, muddling up our energies together." His eyes flickered to hers, lighting up. "Place with a lot of energies all pent up a mile or so out."

"Huh? Where?"

The light was replaced with a bitter glint. "Place where the army lads' frat house meets their labs. Right under that building."

"Huh? What, I already thought of that. Well, the lab part, but - that house?" _Riley_ _'_ _s house. Not important. Just completely painful as well as creepy and icky._

"I was there for the show, Slayer. Repressed spirits or whatever in the house, tortured demons lost and dead men's souls under it. It's a bad energy buffet." He cinched his billowed duster closed abruptly and smiled. "Best of all, there's miles of broken down labs under there, a billion little nooks and crannies." He moved past her, hesitated then reached down and rolled back a stained and crooked Persian rug, revealing a hatch cut in the stone floor. "An' I just so happen to have an express lane to the underground."

* * *

Buffy hated the plan. But she had hated all the plans and the whole situation, so she followed him down the ladder- then stopped dead.

"What's wrong? Legs givin' out?" Hmm. Carryin' the Slayer, all pressed up close, neck under his nose… "Wanna lift, Luv?" Spike offered with the faintest trace of suggestion in his voice. Not that she heard it.

"What the hell is this place?" Buffy ignored his question and gestured wildly to the sight before her eyes.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Buffy gawped at the luxury bedding on an actual four-poster, the dozens of candles on old wooden chests and ornate little trinkets scattered around- and a truly staggering amount of clothes heaped in a corner. "Hey- is that my sweater?"

"Uh- I don't know. Why would it be? This is- was- Harm's stuff." Spike turned his back and moved hurriedly past the bed. "The rest- it's just a bedroom. You didn't think I slept in a ruddy coffin, did you, Slayer?"

"Well, no, I just- wow. Your room is way nicer than mine. Except for the stone and dirt stuff."

"It is under a crypt, Slayer. Rock and dirt's standard. The bed was mine. The trinkets and the clothes- most of the clothes, anyway, those are Harmony's. We split up an' she left her stuff. That's all." Spike informed her hurriedly.

"Oh. Man. I'm sorry… I guess."

"Don't be. It was more of a 'you leave, or I kill you' kinda split." He turned to hr with a shrug. "You're single again as well. Can't say I'm sorry- hated him." Her eyes blazed briefly, then dimmed as she tossed out a shrug of her own. "Guess if he was in the picture, he'd be helpin' out tonight."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's really freaking me out a little that you're…" She trailed off at the sight that met her eyes as she squeezed behind him down what had seemed like a little crack in the wall, maybe like a mini-hallway. It opened into a huge space, ceiling of tree roots and hanging dirt, protruding coffins. "I think I'm going to have a panic attack." Buffy admitted hoarsely.

"Huh?"

"Not claustrophobic. 'Cause this is- very big. And open. It's the- the coffin thing. Being under coffins." _Get a grip, or you_ _'_ _re going to end up in one._ "Afraid of being buried." She admitted, instantly wishing she hadn't.

If Spike was storing the info away for malicious use, it didn't show."Hang on. You'll be in a tunnel under Sycamore Ave. in two minutes." He reached back and grabbed her hand like he'd done it a hundred times before, pulling her along. "This is actually a real good bet to stay ahead of your company, Luv. Only one who can hop into the system from this point woulda have to come through my bedroom, so- we're at least guaranteed a clear run for a few minutes."

"Oh, yeah. That's good." _Don_ _'_ _t look up. Look at his hand. Focus on his hand._ "I can't see." She rest was just the blackness of the earth covering them.

"At all?"

"Just you." _Guess it_ _'_ _s in now. All the poison my body can hold._

"Well, I can see just fine, so all you need to look at is me." Spike replied. tugging her forward. "When you get to the city-made tunnels, you'll get a bit of light through the grates. The labs- rumor is they were razed. Nothing but concrete left prolly, no electric lights, so it's gonna be pitch black."

"That's good," she declared bravely, "light would give us away."

"Right you are."

In a few minutes they did reach the city-made tunnels as Spike had predicted, and he halted her, taking a long draw of the dank air. "Nothing's been movin' in this section for hours. I dunno if they're on our trail or not, but they haven't got ahead of us. Hopefully that means they don't know where we're headin'." Buffy nodded. Even though she was silent, he could feel words waiting to burst out of her. "What?"

"What, what?"

"You got something to say, say it." He challenged.

"This isn't some tough guy movie, this is my life." Buffy hissed.

"Why do you think I'm helpin' you, you idiot?" He hissed back.

Snarky, rude Spike. She relaxed slightly. "That's a good question. I thought you'd be asking to buy tickets to watch these guys turn me into slayer pancakes." This time, she could feel his words itching to come through, but all that manifested was a huff. "Thought I wouldn't figure that out?"

"No- I hoped you'd figure out somethin' else." He snarled softly and pulled her roughly along, wincing slightly as his chip warned him to play nice.

A few yards of getting their bearings passed before she asked, "Like what?"

"You think I want you to get killed while you're all weak and helpless?"

"I'm not helpless! Just- powerless." Buffy mumbled. "So you don't?"

"No!"

"Because I'm the Slayer, right. And I deserve a big finish, go out in a flashy battle." Buffy mused as she comprehended. "Because you want the 'honor'."

Spike smacked his forehead. "Because I don't want you to die _at all_ , you nit."

"Uh…" Buffy found the sincerely frustrated tone of his voice at odds with the Spike of the past, and it stalled her words. _We shouldn_ _'_ _t be talking so much anyway. Not sneaky._

* * *

They moved in silence for the equivalent of four or five blocks, her silence one of concentration and worry, his a mixture of being brassed off and feeling an unaccustomed but very much enjoyed weight of someone relying on him again. Someone worth looking after.

The silence shattered with a tight gasp and a yank on his hand.

"What?" He whirled, pushing her behind him , putting her between him and the wet concave wall of the tunnel.

"Rats. Sorry. Nothing against rats. I spent an afternoon as one, once. Long story." She babbled in an effort to talk herself back to composure. "Just not cool when they run over my feet." Buffy shuddered, and mutely cursed herself out. _Big brave Slayer. Screams like a big baby at a tiny little rat when there are five monsters trying to earn whatever price tag Glory put on my head._

"God." He let out a muffled groan, pulled out a cigarette, then shoved it back in the packet. "Don't do that to me."

"Hey, _your_ super senses still work. If anything major was happening, you'd know it before I did." She retorted, wondering if her embarrassed blush showed up in this much darkness.

"Just move." He glared and stalked off.

Kinda need the hand, Buffy realized after ten steps and a spectacular trip over she didn't want to know what.

Spike snagged her before she hit the stagnant puddle and wrenched her upright. "Are you-

"Oww!" Buffy let out a whimper, as if she wanted to shout but wasn't allowing herself the release.

"What? What? Not me, I swear, no zaps." He took his hands off hastily, only to have them clutched again to prevent another fall. Spike caught her, pressed close as she hung onto him, struggling to stay standing. "Not your ankle?" He asked, trying to help her get her footing.

"My- back." Pain made her talk in short gasps. "I guess- adrenaline- wore off. Don't know why. Flight instinct happening."

Spike ran his hands down her arms, realizing he smelled fresh blood. "C'mon." His arm went under hers, up high under the shoulders, even though he had to stoop a bit.

"Yeah. We can't slow down." She pushed on, although waves of pain radiated with every step and she felt something trickling down her back.

"Oh, we can slow down. We need a light. Proper light- well, better than this." Spike half supported, half carried her to the next patch of light, about another block. A street lamp shone down in the grate and created a striped square that was less dark than the rest of the tunnel.

"What are we doing?" Buffy asked when he propped her up in the light spill.

"I wanna see how bad you're hurt, and I want a little help on the visual." He grunted. "Don't pull any crap on me about how you're little miss invincible when - oh. Right, then." To his shock, she took his suggestion, leaning her hands gingerly on the wall for balance, back to him.

 _Sweet bloody torture._ Spike stifled a moan at the images this conjured up, images of her healthy, and leaning on his bedroom wall or braced on the chair back in his living room- or anywhere, really. _But now_ _'_ _s not the time._ Sweet scent of blood and long golden hair notwithstanding. Her tight white shirt had some kind of lacy underlay, and the fabric was marred with clear streaks, rusty pools, and fresh red trails. "Lift it up." He prodded the hem. One of her hands reached back stiffly and plucked at it, and his heart twisted. _My Slayer. Never want to see her struggling like this._ "Lemme help." He said softly and raised the shirt before she could argue. "Fucking wankers!" He spat as soon as he saw the wound.

"How bad?" _Because it hurts bad. Never appreciated the slayer healing package so much as right now when I don_ _'_ _t have it._

"Couple inches over woulda hit you in the spine." _Maybe paralyzed her._ "I bet you they tried and tried to get this in you and you were too quick." His angry voice held a note of smugness. _She practiced fighting with me plenty of times. I can give a little stroke to the ego, right?_

"They did the decoy thing, one behind me, turned on- ow- instinct." She bit her lip. "It hurts worse."

"You reopened it when you fell, looks like it had stopped bleedin' before…" He was patting in his pockets. "This place isn't a shinin' example of hygiene, not the place for open wounds. You awfully attached to the sleeves of that thing?"

"Yes! But- it's not like I can get the stains out, so go ahead." Buffy sighed. She started to turn, arms out. He gave a grim nod and flicked a knife out of nowhere. Her breath caught. He didn't say anything, just made a slit at the seam on each side and then tore the sleeves at the shoulder and slid it down her arm. His face was stiff, like he was carefully not showing any emotion. "Is it like- really, really bad?" Buffy finally whispered.

"Nah." He forced a quick smile. "About face again." He twirled a finger. When her back was to him he let the tension out of his face. C _utting the clothes off her was s_ _'_ _posed to be more of a heat of passion, hands tearing, mouths mating sorta thing. Not this. At least in my head._ Another wave of anger swept him. Stupid beasts, ruining all the moments he wanted for himself.

"What'd you say?" Buffy demanded, hearing something under his breath.

"I said, 'This is gonna sting.'" His flask was out and half dumped over the wound before she could finish asking what was going to sting. She hissed, he swore as the chip again reacted, but only a warning zap. "Damn thing should know a friendly pain from a dangerous one." He groused, making a pad and bandage out of her shirt sleeves, now torn again into thin, jagged strips.

After catching her breath, she looked over her shoulder, watching his pained expression. "Was that necessary?"

"Alcohol cleans a wound, an' I have a flask, not a first aid kit. It's cleaned best I can and covered to help keep it clean. The old labs have to be less likely to cause infection than these tunnels. Let's move." He spoke tersely, suddenly uncomfortable with how long they's stood in one place, even though it was probably only five minutes.

* * *

"Was it a really big needle or something?" Buffy asked a few minutes later. After walking in silence and hearing nothing, and Spike smelling, seeing, and sensing nothing, she risked speaking.

"Hollow dagger. Like a poison ring? Little hollow barb filled with something deadly, only much bigger. Quick jabbed it into you and probably pressed a button on the hilt, emptying it into you."

"Stabs _and_ poisons. What a bargain." Buffy quipped, and earned a laugh from the shadowy figure in front of her.

"That's what I like to hear." Spike cast an appreciative glance back at her, even though she couldn't see it. "World's not quite right unless you're crackin' jokes in dire situations."

Buffy smiled. "My banter is pretty good. Why can't they give college credit for bantering?"

"Or slaying? Apocalypse prevention?"

"I could have straight A's."

Another few steps without speaking, but the silence was easier between them now. "We're gonna head to the right in a minute. No more street lights, we're goin' off the city grid into whatever the military had left over." Spike informed her, stomach tense. "I need a smoke."

"Well, you can't have one!" Buffy bleated. "Dead give away much?"

"Why do you think I didn't light up?" Spike's eyes flashed yellow in anger. "Gimme little credit. Wouldn't kill you…"

Buffy blinked. _He didn_ _'_ _t have to help you. He didn_ _'_ _t have to take you out his own secret little passage way, or clean your back, or - any of this._ "The labs aren't my favorite place, either. You're not the only one that almost died down there. Although you trying to sabotage us all by sneaking around with Adam didn't help…"

"Sorry. Didn't I say I was sorry already?" Spike sounded hurt.

 _And he apologizes. He helps._ Her suspicions overshot her gratitude. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you wanted my help!" Spike was annoyed enough to stop walking and give her a baleful stare. "You're all pissy- if I didn't think you'd get lost an' maybe sliced and diced down here, I'd go home. Plus, I been stabbed before, an' it does make you cranky. We'll be in the bloody maze they call labs soon, an' you can sit. Maybe it'll help. But I doubt it…" He concluded in a dark mutter.

"Thanks." Buffy spoke a moment later.

"Wasn't so bloody difficult, was it?" He hid the small lifting of his heart and the private preening he was doing with a snort.

"You'd be surprised." Buffy gripped his hand harder as she navigated a deep puddle, and hid her own surprise as he moved back and grabbed her forearm to lead her across.

* * *

The air seemed to go from damp and thick to thin and acrid. The roundness of tunnels gave way to straight, square walls after one sharp turn amd one squeeze through a small culvert. "How do you know where the section under Lowell House is?" Buffy spoke for the first time since they crossed into Initiative territory.

"Find elevator shafts, feel when the floors start to rise. When we're close to humans, vamps can tell. Jus' like you can tell when there's vamp around." He fixed her with a steady gaze. "How do you feel when there's lots of us about?"

"Tingly times ten." Like her skin buzzed, in a bad way.

"They'll be far enough away that just a few humans wouldn't cross the radar." A flash of gold and a jagged smile. "But a whole houseful, twenty, thirty, even a quarter mile above us, gives me the 'tinglies'."

"We're passing under other dorms though, aren't we?"

"One or two- but they don't have an elevator shaft connected to 'em. That's only for the soldier boys."

Buffy was impressed. Impressed enough to say something. "Wow. Spike, that's- really smart." Suspicion again reared its head. "Should it worry me that you know all this and are conveniently leading me here when I'm pretty much helpless?"

"No." An indignant snap, and he dropped her hand, but didn't move far from her, knowing she needed his help, at least his proximity, to keep moving in the darkness. "I would know this whether this happened or not. One, I escaped from this shit heap, two, I helped _you_ break in to this shit heap, three, where you're concerned, I always think fast, four, I been gettin' myself into hiding places and keepin' myself alive for a very long time. Do I need to move on to number five, or can kitty put her claws in now?"

"God, I'm sorry!" Buffy exploded in an exasperated (and maybe a little bit ashamed of herself) whisper. "I - I'm not good at trusting … people."

"Me, y'mean. Even though I've been helpin' you. Even though I- you know what I said." He trailed off in frustration, stopping, sniffing the air, and then running his hand along the soot-permeated wall before moving on.

She trailed him. "You talk a _lot_ , Spike. I don't always remember what you say." But she thought she did this time. When he took her on his own guided tour of slayers and how to die- or not to. Leaning in. Trying to kiss her. She backed away, looking at his face, the desire on it. _Come on. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you want to dance._ And she threw everything back at him. Money included. Like paying for his time.

It wasn't about money with him. _That_ time, not that it hadn't been before. "I owe you a favor."

"Damn right you do." He groused. "But if you'd just- treat me like - tonight's a clean slate, I'll call it square." Spike struggled to express what he wanted, keeping the rest of the things he wished for under wraps.

"I'll think about it." Buffy responded, and both of them moved on, an odd heaviness between them.

* * *

"These guys suck at tracking, or they're ambushing us." Buffy whispered as they moved deeper into the labyrinth-like shell of the facility.

"How did they find you before?"

"I found them, they ran, I chased, I got hurt. Also known as the 'See Buffy run, see Buffy stupid' maneuver." She confessed bitterly.

"Why'd you chase 'em down? What's the deal with theses guys?"

"Glory. She's a hell god and I'm- not. Kinda feeling powerless and wanting to share the beat down." Buffy shivered and felt the dull throb in her back explode into agony. "Is there a place you have in mind in here? I think my walking time is rapidly running out."

"I'm boxing us in. Central position, see 'em comin' from all sides. There was a sealed room off the lab, think it might've been like a recovery ward, but for demons so it was steel reinforced on three side and had big metal doors. Thick stuff, not even you could get through it. 'Course everything looks different after a fire." He stopped and raked through his hair in frustration. "We need to stop, we'll stop. We're near the frat house, that'll put a good bit of energy around us, throw 'em off the scent for a bit."

"No, I can keep going." Buffy protested. "For a little longer."

"I believe it. If anyone can outlast the odds, it'd be you." Spike tossed her a smile and then let out a cry of victory. "Elevator shaft! This is it. Let's go make ourselves a fort, huh, Slayer?"

"Right behind you." She gave him a wry grin in return.

* * *

She rested against a wall while he scouted. His footsteps echoed oddly in the dark and she shivered again, part pain, part cold, and part fear. _Get a hold of yourself. You cant lose your head again, it really didn_ _'_ _t work out so great the first time, did it?_ She put her hands down and her head back, doing calming breaths.

Her hand touched something. Something- hand-like. That broke into little crumbly pieces as she pushed away from it in horror. Smothering a scream and resisting the urge to retch, she scrambled up and looked for Spike. She resisted looking down. At first.

* * *

Spike's head whipped around at a skittering sound. Rats? Clumsy footsteps. "Slayer?" He called, sotto voce.

"Kinda having trouble seeing you." Buffy reminded him.

" I thought you were gonna wait by the wall." Spike came forward to retrieve her.

" I wasn't the only one there." Buffy told him grimly. "There was a- um- body."

"Gotta be a demon, not a human. All the soldiers that died down here would've been shipped home and given proper burial."

"That doesn't make it less creepy. Are there more?"

"Bodies? Probably. But, none in the space I found, so come on in where it's 'safe'." His last word came out in a sarcastic chuckle.

"This is so not funny." Buffy shook her head and followed him.

* * *

"You can't fall apart on me now." Spike's voice was unexpectedly encouraging as he helped her sit on the floor, his jacket, emptied of most items, folded up under her. It's the little gestures that let 'em know you care, after all, he reasoned. Helps if they notice. He sat across from her, head always turning, senses pulling information in as fast and constantly as he was able.

"I'm not trying to. It's just- I really got used to being able to beat up my worries and fears. Good cardio." Buffy managed a grim little smile.

"Yeah, so I heard."

"I don't typically end my workouts being stuck in a big underground box, fearing for my life, ruining my wardrobe." She rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe the wardrobe part happens pretty regularly."

Spike laughed softly. "I love that about you."

Buffy looked panicked. "Say what now?"

"I like how you deal with your stress, Luv. You beat it to a pulp if you can, and you still joke. I might call you a stuck up bitch, but I think it's a bit of an act. Trying to be so normal so no one sees how badass you are."

Buffy stared. Her heart was doing something unfamiliar. Loosening. Lightening. The words, said softly and with genuine amusement and appreciation were the last things she expected to hear, but maybe what she most needed to hear. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so. An' I know you might not have all the 'powers' right now, but that doesn't change who you are. You're the Slayer and if I hadn't been around, you would've done the nose-less bastards in all on your lonesome. Okay?"

Her heart came up another several notches, bordering on "pleasant and relaxed", upgraded from "scared, stressed, and angry but can't do shit about it". "Thanks, Spike."

"Welcome, Slayer." He beamed. "That's my girl. Backbone back in place?"

"Just a little stabbed." She joked and again he laughed. "Are you drunk?"

"Nope, happy to hear you soundin' better. I know you might be 'helpless', but I hate when you act like it."

Buffy was about to return the smile, when a frown usurped it. Nagging doubts, misplaced caution that should have been used earlier suddenly weighed on her.

"What?" He caught the rapid expression replacement.

"I have a little trouble believing you when you say that, and then it makes me suspicious about other stuff." Buffy told him bluntly. She realized she really wasn't in a position to lie right now anyway, and she was feeling too sore and exhausted to make up excuses at this point.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because you're secretly enjoying the idea of me getting torn apart while you watch, since you can't do it yourself?" She hazarded.

Spike's voice was like the sizzling hiss of a lit fuse, coming out sharp but quiet, and very dangerous. "That's not true, I don't want that, and I already bloody well _told you so_!" He got up, paced the steel square they were in, a box inside a box inside a maze. It was the best fortification he could find, but she still thought he wasn't trying to protect her, help her. "Why would you come to me if you thought that?"

"Because I didn't have a lot of other options!" Buffy considered rising, but the pain in her back told her to sit and be irate from the floor.

"You're too smart to take a bad option, you'd rely on yourself, broken as you might be, if you believed I was a bad choice. _Something_ in you knows I'm not the enemy here. Not the enemy anymore."

"Well, something _else_ in me keeps reminding me about a few Halloweens ago when I was in a big poofy dress and an 18th century brain-warp, and you were about to _eat_ me. You called me a poor lost little lamb or something. And you thought it was awesome. You said you loved it. You like when I'm helpless, when you get to be the predator. Now that you're chipped up, doesn't mean you still don't like the idea of me being someone's dinner."

Eating her. He wished for a split second that he thought like her- words having one meaning, no sexual content unless they were wrapped in hearts and flowers. An' big shoulders, he thought bitterly.

"See? You can't even answer me!"

"I didn't know you then. I knew of you, knew about you, didn't know you. The- the woman" Spike replied, no finesse in his words, not really caring if she understood. She wouldn't, probably. "An' we've traded helpless plenty of times, Luv. Wheelchair, chipped, under spells. You sorry for chainin' me in a bathtub?"

"No, because you're the _bad guy_!" Buffy pointed out sharply.

"Well right now I'm not, and I- don't want to be anymore!" He exploded, features dark and tight as he bent to shout in her face.

Stunned, she let her voice escape. Buffy knew her adversary's tone when he was bluffing, threatening for real or with empty words, heartbroken, drunkenly enraged and miserable. And being honest. It was a new tone, rarely heard, and usually covered by smugness or jesting. Or fury. Or fear-of-death-packaged-as-a-Slayer.

"Just drop it." Buffy finally said, eyes down, lips thin, unable to process, but knowing something subtle yet significant had just happened.

"If you'll drop the bit about I like you weak, I'll drop it." He challenged.

"You did."

"Fine. I did." He heavily admitted. "Past tense, Buffy. I don't like it now." He crouched down, inches from her, eyes and voice filled with quiet entreaty. "You ever changed your mind about something?"

Her eyes had grown sufficiently accustomed to the dark now, and she was able to make out things if they were close enough. Like Spike was now, directly in front of her, putting them only inches apart. It was unsettling to see glimmers of real, unvarnished emotion in someone without a soul. _Well, maybe he doesn_ _'_ _t need one. Right now_ _…_ "Yeah. About a few things."

He sat back, satisfied for the moment. "Dropped?"

Her voice quavered, maybe from pain or the drugs in her system. Certainly nothing else. "Dropped." _For now._

* * *

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: My first ever response to a challenge, so I hope you'll be understanding. It's written for the October challenge month at the Elysian Fields Dark Solace archive._

 _Dedicated to:WriterDragonfly, Illusera, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _,_ _omslagspapper_ _, Calantha S, and_ _Wesfan1234_ _._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part III**

Somewhere in the distance, water dripped. Walls creaked. "Fire damage. Settlin'. Even months later, still hear the pops and snaps. " Spike reassured. The first words he'd spoken in several minutes.

Buffy shifted on his coat, lying on her side, trying to relieve the pain in her back, and not exactly reassured by her current companion's words. "How long do you think it will be until they track me?" Buffy didn't think this solution was permanent, too much of a realist for that.

"My guess is two hours or so. From now."

Better than she expected. Maybe too good. "Really?"

"Energy is muddled. We took one route to the tunnel no one else can access unless they know to start in my crypt. If they can fight you, they were never in Initiative labs, gettin' de-chipped, and I haven't heard anyone in ever mention Aur k'Achs in Sunnydale before, an' I hear a lot. That means they're most likely out of towners, and they don't even know the labs are down here. If they do know, they've never been in 'em. They'll have to find a point of entry, and then find us. That's miles of pitch black, burnt out underground to navigate that all looks most;y the same."

Buffy sat up. "When did you figure all that out?"

"When you told me what kind of nasty bumped into you." He spread his hands carelessly.

"You thought all of that out, that fast?" Buffy asked dubiously.

He smiled, even though he knew she was thinking about his loyalties again. "Slayer, I've _always_ had to think fast around you. Now I'm just working with you, not against you, so you reap the rewards."

'That was like- Giles-quality information use. Without books. I'm glad you're on my side." Buffy said, rubbing her cold arms.

"I'm glad you realized it." Spike grinned and moved closer. "You wanna put the coat on, instead of lying on it?"

"Maybe." Buffy ran a finger around the edge of the floor. It came up covered in black grime. "When I feel up to ruining my pants along with my shirt."

"Do whatever you like with it, it's gettin' dry cleaned after this."

Spike treated that coat like a bag of gold, not an old piece of leather. Buffy nodded as she watched him lean back lazily, even though she could tell he was still alert, listening for intruders. _He didn_ _'_ _t even ask me to pay for the cleaning._ Her head tilted, still studying him. _Okay. He_ _'_ _s not part of the bad guy team tonight. He_ _'_ _s earning brownie points._ _"_ _Get in the Slayer_ _'_ _s good books_ _"_ _points. Really not putting him in danger as long as it_ _'_ _s me they want and he keeps them from getting to me by this_ _"_ _build a fort_ _"_ _method. He was just sitting home. He loves to fight demons anyway, if they even get to us, the only thing he gets to fight anymore. And he really does like Dawn and my mom._ She knew there was some sort of "attraction" to her as well, but she didn't know if she could classify it as like _. Doesn_ _'_ _t matter. It_ _'_ _s a rough, long night, but it isn_ _'_ _t_ costing _him anything, no hardship. Yet. That_ _'_ _s the Spike I_ _'_ _m used to._

Her voice perked up a little bit. "Okay, two hours. And then what?"

Spike sipped from his flask. "The good thing about being in the center, is you can block from all sides."

"Unless they attack you from all four."

"They'll do a two pronged attack at most, from the sounds of it. If they do any more than that, it leaves one side with only one man fightin'. It'll be a two- three split."

"I think I hurt two of them pretty badly. We might be facing three instead of five. I don't know how fast they recover."

"Yeah, I don't either. But we're going to be fine, 'cause…" Spike ran his hand along the floor beside him.

Buffy could make out his lighter, flask, some stakes, a knife, and a bunch of other things she didn't recognize. _He_ _'_ _s almost as good as I am at_ _"_ _accessorizing_ _"_ _._

"Because of this little fella." He held up something.

"Is that a gun? That's not a little anything, that's really huge gun! We're going to shoot them? Does that even work on these guys?"

"It's _not_ a gun at all, you twit."

Buffy mumbled, apparently ignoring him,"I guess the shotgun was too big to pack, right?"

"It's not a gun!" He shouted finally. " It's a cordless reciprocating hammer."

Buffy sat up. "First of all -what the heck? Second- why? _Why_ does a _vampire_ have a power tool?" Buffy whispered, shaking her head, eyes wide in surprise.

"I thought you'd remember to ask 'how', Luv. How this thing helps?" His eyes twinkled in amusement, even in the dark.

"Yeah, well, add that part in, too." Buffy continued to stare, hand to her head now.

"Okay, the 'what'- it's a hand held power tool that has a bloody big punch. Like a sledgehammer in your pocket." He waggled his eyebrows and she huffed. "Moving on. Why? Remember the little Amara fiasco?"

"Oh yeah. Punching each other in daylight for a change." Buffy cracked.

"Had to tunnel down to the treasure. So, my minions- I mean, team, and I couldn't exactly hire a construction crew, could we?"

"Hey, I remember the tunneling! You caused a highway to collapse!"

"I don't know about - road structure." Spike waved his hand impatiently. "I learned a lot about rock and we got better at the tunneling, all right? You saw that little passage from my bedroom to the tunnels? I made that."

"With _that_ thing?" She gestured to the tool.

"Partially. And—" He mumbled something.

Buffy swore she caught the words "cave in." " Did you say 'cave in'?"

"A helpful one! One that I - uh- engineered, you could say. Small, really. Take out a big section, all at once, then just had to do a bit of clear out."

Buffy suddenly looked at the ceiling warily. _Not in a cave, but this is a very cave-in-able place._ "What exactly did you want to do with that hammer thingy?"

"If they find us, I'm takin' out some concrete."

"You're what?" Her voice came out slightly shrill. _I sound so stupid, but I_ _'_ _m sorry, what? Is this my brain without Slayer speed? Or am I still losing blood and there_ _'_ _s not enough to go to my brain?_

"The only structures that survived the fire are made of steel, concrete, or stone. All of those have some kinda damage." He kicked one steel wall and it reverberated, as well as showed a dent in it. "It'll still take a beatin'. But the concrete…" He made an "x" motion with the tool, then a sharp jab in the invisible center. "Fire starts it, a little work with this finishes it. Take out a few walls, limit the ways they can come at us, get to us."

"Or cause a giant structural collapse and bury us under a frat house?" Buffy rubbed her temples.

Spike paused. "That's… unlikely."

"How unlikely?"

"I'm gonna go do a test wall. Don't move."

"Oh my God…"

"I didn't have a lot of time to 'pack', Slayer, I grabbed what I thought of that fits in coat pockets."

"Right. So no shotguns." Buffy's hands moved from temples to cover her face completely.

"An' I left the chainsaw in the trunk of the car, too."

Her head darted up. "Do I want to know?"

"Trees, Slayers. Getting underground, starting outside? Even vamps don't go around pullin' up trees with their bare hands."

"That from the Amara thing, too?"

"Yep."

"How'd you get all this stuff? And know what to do with it?"

"When I figured out where the Gem of Amara was, I knew I needed stuff to dig it out, and bodies to dig with me. Stole the stuff. One of the blokes I recruited told us what to nick. He owned a hardware store. When he was human. Not everything changes when you turn, Buffy. Some things - you still know." Spike said finally, somberly without any of his typical "I'm a demon, it's what I do" snideness. He turned from her and walked through the doors. "Stay here. I don't hear anything, and I won't take long."

* * *

Soon Buffy heard a quick staccato of metal on concrete, and the creaking sounds she'd been hearing since they arrived worsened. The thumping sound stopped in a few minutes, and then there was a new sound. Not a creaking. A cracking. "Spike?" She said so softly she knew he wouldn't possibly be able to hear her.

Instead of a reply from the vampire, a cloud of white and gray could be faintly seen in the blackness, and the sound of rubble falling filled her ears.

"It works." Spike announced needlessly upon returning, wiping his hands and arms, his black ensemble coated in a mist of gritty dust.

"Good. I think. If they're around, they heard that." Buffy bit her lip.

"Sweetheart, if they were around, they'd have known we were here no matter what." He scoffed. " I'm gonna go lay a little ground work. If they get in and get within a few corridors of this room, I should be able to sense 'em. If I do the prep now, I can take down enough walls to make a homemade rockslide between them an' us pretty damn quick."

"Or you could cause this place to collapse and kill us both. Or at least me."

"I got practice, Slayer. This is gonna be pretty surgical. But it's up to you."

"We could just keep running." She knew it wasn't the best choice, but this was starting to sound more and more like getting buried alive.

"We can. Sure." Spike paused. "I don't have a better plan, Slayer, unless you wanna hightail it back to my place an' take the car, drive around all night. I don't know what they're travelin' in, but I know they're not gonna catch a car on foot." He sighed and wiped his now slightly sooty face. "But I don't know that if they have a vehicle of their own, or if they'll swipe one once they know that's our game. My car's easy to pick out, even in traffic, and it's not exactly rush hour. Or even that big of a town. We'd have to get on the highway before they see us and-"

"I'm not leaving town." _Not leaving them unprotected._ "Or putting anyone else at risk." Buffy shook her head, picturing the five she'd faced overwhelming some poor guy leaving his night shift to steal his car. "I don't want them to think they need bait. As in an innocent or someone I would come out of hiding for. I wanna keep them focused on finding me, and then- getting to me."

"I still think this is the safest place. An' I plan on makin' it bloody difficult for them to get to you, provided they even make it this far." A _n_ _'_ _then they go through me. I_ _'_ _m the last line of defense, but you always save the best for last_ _…_

"They'll find it. That's how things go on the Hellmouth. I'm just… not comfortable being closed in."

"We can go back to the tunnel and do a little scoutin', see if we bump into them." Spike offered stiffly, wishing he could make her comfortable within the tight confines, but privately thinking getting boxed in for a night was better than filling a coffin permanently. _Bad idea to do any recon now. Putting her right on the hook, just waiting to see if the shark_ _'_ _s near enough to bite_ _…_

Buffy swallowed and closed her eyes. The dark behind her eyelids seemed like one she could control, and she pretended the looming blackness, even one she'd partially become accustomed to, wasn't trying to swallow her up. "No… I know that's not smart. I just need to - I don't know, see a little light, or move around, or something…"

"All right." A shuffle, a click, and a hiss. Buffy's eyes popped open. "Here." He held out the lighter, tiny flame glowing. "You hold onto it. I don't really need it, can't smoke in here anyway.

Buffy's fingers itched to take it, but instead she hesitated. "But- that's yours."

"Well, I want it back when we get out." Spike rolled his eyes. He heard something else in her voice, a puzzled hint of her starting to believe, or at least question, but he pretended he didn't. "Here, you hold it, and go pace about for a bit."

Buffy accepted it slowly, smiling slightly at the dust-streaked face smiling at her. She put it in her pocket and began to push off against the wall.

Spike watched the calm look of a second ago turn into frustration. "What?"

"Can't get up." She worked up the wall, muscles trembling with weakness. She bit back a cry and sank down.

Spike's nostril's flared. "You just opened up the wound again. Dammit, Slayer, you're out of sleeves and I'm almost out of whiskey."

"That stuff in me… sneaks up on you if you're not fighting it." Buffy blinked back frustrated, angry tears. "I can't believe… Can't believe I let myself get into this mess. Dammit!" She hissed, balling her fists.

"It's gonna be okay! It's gonna get worse before it gets better, but better _will_ happen. Here now, if they said it'd be gone by morning-uh- what time did you get hit?"

"I don't know, Spike, I don't wear a watch and oh yeah- I was fighting five big ass demons!"

"Let's say about eleven. Figure if it lasts over night, it's running six, maybe eight hours in your system." He knew that wasn't going to be accurate, getting stabbed with a dagger full of something wasn't a controlled dosage, no way to tell how much went in or stayed in. Still, he had to help Buffy think like it was something she could manage, see in beatable pieces. _Slayer needs a little control in her life right now when it_ _'_ _s goin_ _'_ _to hell- or she goes out to take control and gets that pretty little ass kicked._ " first three or four hours are gonna be the worst as it gets worked in, then the second half it'll start to wear off until it's gone by morning. Okay? You just gotta - gotta get through the next couple hours and you'll start to feel better instead of worse."

Buffy hadn't even been aware that he'd come to sit beside her, instead of across from her. "Thanks. For trying to make me feel better."

"It's true. Probably." _Don_ _'_ _t think about her lying down with her head next to your lap. Don_ _'_ _t think about offering to take her mind off it. Not like that, anyway._ "Lemme see how bad your back is."

"I don't think I can turn over." She groaned when she made a half-hearted attempt and had to stop because some of her muscle groups just wouldn't cooperate.

"Can you _flop_ forward?" _Helpless. Getting worse_. He had to give himself the same little pep talk he'd just given her.

"This floor is so gross." Buffy whined and didn't budge.

"You want rotting demon germs in an open wound?" Spike played on her disgust from earlier and gestured for her to ease from her side to face down. "Two seconds to retie the bandage up tight and put fresh pressure on it, then you're back to 'hurt but less likely to get an infection' status."

Buffy "flopped" with a muffled moan.

 _Don_ _'_ _t think about her moaning._ "Shh, easy, it'll be all right…"

 _His hands feel nice. He_ _'_ _s good at this_. Buffy shook herself out of those thoughts, strange, unbidden thoughts. _Definitely do not think about him leaning over you. Moving your clothes around. Or the look he gets in his eyes sometimes. The honest_ _"_ _I see you, do you ever really look at me?_ _'"_ _look._ "I'm fine. Is it bad? Worse?" Buffy forced out.

"Just a little seepage. No strainin', Luv. Just relax as best you can." _Naked back. Her under me. Just relax. Moaning. Being nice to each other- mostly._ "You can roll back now." He said stiffly.

"Kinda can't." She reminded him.

"Right. Jus'- uh- stay relaxed. Deadweight, let me do the work."

 _He sounds almost nervous._

 _She looks nervous. A_ different _sort of nervous._

He scooped one hand under her collarbone and one under her thighs and slowly, carefully eased her back to her side, a rasped reminder of "Don't stiffen up!" urgently given before quickly putting his folded jacket under her head. His lighter lay on the floor now and he returned it to her hand.

"You're … really a big help, Spike."

"I know how to take care of people." He shrugged. "If I care about 'em."

She closed her eyes. _Don_ _'_ _t do this. Say that._

 _Not when I could begin to believe you._

 _I can_ _'_ _t fall for another vampire. Or a_ _"_ _bad boy_ _"_ _. Even if - maybe I_ do _wanna dance._ Her eyes clouded, not from the effects of the drug _. No more dancing right now. No more dancing for me, ever. Guys leave me, good reasons or bad ones, and usually when I need them the most. Mom and Dawn need me right now, and that_ _'_ _s all I should be worried about, defeating Glory to keep them safe. And, you know, prevent world-endage._

"Do you think we could get any information out of these guys about how to defeat Glory?"

"I wasn't plannin' on lettin' 'em breathe long enough to tell us." Spike chuckled darkly, despite being surprised at the sudden lunge to a different subject. "But we could try to keep one alive long enough to talk."

"You make it sound like you can take them, no problem." Buffy felt a little bitterness rising in her.

"Hey. I know what to expect, you didn't." Spike lightly poked her wrist. "It's different when the fight comes to you, you know that."

"Yeah, I do." Buffy admitted.

"So don't beat up on you, you've got enough other gits doin' that." He tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. "Look. I don't know if I can take 'em or not. But I know that they hurt you, and I know they work for someone who wants to hurt - the girl." He stumbled over the reference to Dawn, a strange tugging in his heart that he didn't really like, couldn't really shake, something not carnal, but uncomfortably enjoyable. "So I've got a bloody big lot of motivation. I can't let that happen. I mean, your lot is gonna take the hell bitch down. But I'm gonna do what I can to help."

For the first time tonight she felt the coldness inside her begin to dissipate. EVen if they might be empty words, well meant. "You realize the idea of some teenagers, a Slayer, and one chipped vampire being able to beat a god and her hench-demons is pretty suicidal?"

"Already dead, that ship has sailed." He grinned wryly. "Say anything you want. You can't put me off."

 _Not leaving. He might, if he sees how bad it could get. Unless there was something to make him stick around. Tonight_ _'_ _s a good test._

 _Oh my God. Why am I even thinking about that._ "I need some sleep, or something."

"So sleep, I'll wake you up if I have to."

"You mean _when_ you have to. I'm not that lucky, Spike."

"Yeah well, neither am I. When they get here, I'll wake you."

* * *

She couldn't sleep. Pain, cold, worry, and a brain that wouldn't turn off made it impossible. "I can't sleep. What are we supposed to do for - a couple hours, give or take?"

Spike swallowed, looking around. "Options are kinda limited, Pet." His voice was hinting, but he kept his hands firmly to himself, despite being close to her.

"Yeah…" Her voice issued a dare.

"We could talk. _Quietly_."

"Says the guy who took out a frickin' wall. With a baby jackhammer."

"That was then. The longer we wait here, the more quiet we gotta get, Slayer. Because the longer we're here, the closer they're getting."

Buffy swallowed. "Okay. So… Talk to me."

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: I know the chapters are short, but I hope to keep them coming out quickly this way. I appreciate all the readers who reviewed and encouraged me to keep going._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _, and_ _omslagspapper_ _, as well as the kind guest reviewers._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part IV**

He was surprisingly easy to talk to. Listen to. Spike was too busy keeping an ear out and senses hyper alert to launch a full snark assault, and she was too worried and achey to keep being a suspicious semi-bitch. At least for the time being.

"I'm gonna go do that prep in the walls. Put in a row of weakened spots on the closest corridors to us in all directions."

"Okay. Spike- wait." Buffy half sat up as he reluctantly began to stand.

"I don't wanna leave you alone, Luv, I just wanna protect you." He said gently, clearly thinking she was afraid to be left alone.

Buffy blinked. _That's sweet. Seeing as I really would freak if I was down here alone. For an extended period of time. Without my body functioning like it's supposed to as the Slayer._ "Um. Thanks. No, I was going to say- how long do you think it would take you to dig us back out?"

"We can use one of the routes they don't take. If they come north, we'll loop around south when it's done."

"What if they keep trying, all different routes?"

"Then you'll be stronger in the morning and we'll dig out and then kick their collective ass." He lightly brushed her shoulder. "Besides, this is meant to buy time, not solve the problem, you know that. They'll tire themselves out gettin' to you, do the work gettin' in for us, we'll kill 'em, get any info we can out of them, and then take the nice little road they made for us."

Her eyes narrowed. _Sweet one second, ruthless the next._ "You can be all calm- and then talk about how this is a perfect kill zone in the next minute." Buffy marveled, not in a fully flattering tone.

"Yeah, Luv. So can you." He smiled crookedly, and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Be back in a tick."

She was aware of his absence, though she really couldn't see much with him there or not. _He's right. I'm just like that. I worry about killing a demon and then worry about what it did to my shoes, boom boom, one right after the other._

 _That freaks guys out._

 _Unless the guy is just like that._

 _Spike is right, and I agree with him. The world is probably doomed now._

* * *

Spike returned, and the listening silence followed him.

"Time moves really slowly when you're counting down." Buffy muttered after minutes of intense listening.

"It's never as long as you think. One of us should start wearin' a watch."

Buffy nodded. Then sighed. "It'll just break."

"I'll find somethin' solid." Spike offered.

"Why do you do that?" Buffy suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Spike seemed genuinely confused, "What'd I do now?" He hastily checked his limbs and couldn't find one doing anything offensive, not even touching her.

"You - you're really helpful… without me asking." _Or begging, or threatening…_

Spike paused before answering. "Well, that's what a friend'd do, isn't it?"

"We're not friends." Buffy reminded him.

The vampire looked at her, face carefully blank, but eyes unwavering. "Maybe it's time we were."

"You _do_ remember aiming a gun at my head a couple months ago, right?" Buffy asked, but her voice wasn't angry, just- questioning.

"I remember droppin' it pretty quick and sittin' up with you the rest of the night after. I remember fightin' that black bug from hell that was in your house-"

"Because you were in my basement stealing!"

 _Why do all the good things I do start with bad things I did? It kinda dampens my chances, doesn't it?_ " I- wasn't really trying to-"

" _And_ getting in my way when I was fighting, and wanting some kind of _credit_ for not eating troll victims, and- and all that stuff you said about me not being able to keep a boyfriend… that I push them away." Buffy's voice rose, along with her shoulders and accusatory arch of her eyebrows.

He winced but she couldn't see it. He argued on, "Fine, but there was also takin' care of your mum and Dawn when you asked me to- and- and- shit. You're right, an' right now I really hate that." He put his head in his hands and let his head droop to his bent knees in a defeated gesture.

She blinked, mouth open, but no sound coming out, unprepared to find her arguments accepted, now at a loss for words.

"Every good thing I do for you, ends up startin' off bad, or goin' bad in the middle." He kicked his heel down on the floor, cursing again. "An' all I wanted, all of those things gone wrong- all I was trying to do- I was only tryin' to get - hm- closer to you." He stumbled, all the smooth tongued charm temporarily gone. It was replaced with bitter anger the next, " An' don't fuckin' ask why, you _know_ why."

Her stomach tensed in a way that had nothing to do with her predicament. "So this-"

"Yeah, this, I did it 'cause I wanted to help, 'cause I was tryin' again to show you I've changed an' all that, to get- to the point where you might… see me differently." Spike trailed off.

"Oh." Buffy said in a small voice.

"Don't worry. I'm used to things goin' wrong by now." His voice was equally quiet.

Buffy didn't know why she found herself speaking in a mildly encouraging voice, but she was."You know- tonight- hasn't gone wrong yet. I mean, it started wrong, for _me_. But the part with you hasn't gone wrong." _Yet_. She flicked open his lighter in time to see his wrist darting across his eyes, see a defeated gesture in the slump of his shoulders.

"I'm waitin' for it." Spike admitted with a shaky laugh, not looking at her.

"Yeah, me too. Kinda." Buffy laughed weakly along with him.

"You don't have to try to make nice."

"I- can be nice." Buffy closed the lid and the light was extinguished. It was easier to say uncomfortable things without seeing him too clearly. And easier to focus on that last image in front of her, seeing Spike in a position she knew too well. The "my heart hurts, but I'm still fighting" position, the "brave face" position.

"I know you can, Luv. But you don't waste the niceness on me, usually. Ever." Spike dug his hands into his knees.

"Why would I? I mean, even if all that other stuff hadn't happened between us. You're right, I push people away. And - you said I don't hold their interest. You're probably right. Something always comes up, I try to take care of it and I stop paying attention to them. Or stop trying to be interesting, too focused on… who knows, it's always something different, always something bad." She frowned and shook her head as if to clear away the bad memories of her secret world interrupting her "normal" life, the feelings of disappointment, of _being_ someone's disappointment. "Whatever." Buffy said, suddenly brisk, "Instead of waiting, they- they lose interest, I guess. What's left to be nice for? I have other things to worry about right now." _I don't need this tortured relationship crappy stuff to start again. It's not smart. I already made one bad decision, do I need to make more?_

Spike risked repeating the path of "starting right, going wrong" and reached out, fumbling a bit, finding her hand. "You don't have to try to 'hold their interest, Luv. I was talking rubbish. You are interesting, yourself, what you do, who you are. Only blind idiots would ever find you- dull. Or would walk away. In case you didn't notice- you've held my interest for almost four bloody years. An' I know- it was a bad interest most of the time. Now it isn't. I may screw it up and you'll always think what you want, you stubborn bitch, but I've changed, and I'm buggered up for tryin' to convince you. Still, stupid as I know it is to try, I can't stop." He squeezed the hand that lay motionless in his own, then thrust it away harder than he meant. "I'm as stubborn as you an' I fight just as hard, damn the odds. In those ways, we're the same." He concluded with a heavy sigh.

Buffy was stunned, processing slowly. She found herself wanting to believe him, indeed, believing him whether she wanted to or not. _But it's too much right now. I would need years before I could even consider seeing him as anything more than a friend._

 _I think I_ _'m borderline insane for even considering the_ friend _part at all._

 _Definitely very insane for loving the way he said no one would but an idiot ever walk away from me. And for kind of getting excited when he said he wouldn_ _'t._

"Hey. Um. I _do._ I do think I'm starting to see you differently." Buffy whispered. Even in the dark she could see his eyes light up, his head jerk hopefully towards hers, and she actually felt regret as she continued, "But the way I'm seeing you is probably not the way-"

A reverberating thud cut off her words. Buffy sat up, smothering a gasp of pain and adrenaline. Spike slid to his feet soundlessly and listened.

The thud turned into a distant shuffle, distant voices.

Spike sank down next to her again and unthinkingly put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her upright, and pulling her close to speak into her ear. His own adrenaline flowing, he barely registered the fact that she willingly leaned on him, looking up and nodding grimly as he spoke, "They're in."

His voice was more of a hollow whisper, something even she could barely detect though his lips were practically pressed to her skin. "From the south?"

"Sounds like it. All in one direction, one raidin' party." He answered. He cocked his head, nostrils flared and ears straining. "Four? Pretty sure I only hear four different steps, voices."

"There were five."

"You must've hurt one bad enough to take him out of tracking duty."

They coiled in the silence after their nearly noiseless exchange. The rustling still seemed far away, and they both were thinking about the vast complex of the burnt out labs, mentally figuring out how soon they would view her pursuers face to face.

There was an exclamation and some words that were loud enough to catch, though still distant. Buffy looked to Spike quizzically.

"Not English. I don't speak Aur k'Ach, or whatever the hell that is." Spike informed her. Another cry, this one of disgust followed by rapid voices, echoed in the dark.

"I think that's the sound of tripping over a body. I know that sound." Buffy shuddered.

A duet of voices, raised and angry sounding filled the empty halls.

"They're arguin', don't need to know the language for that. Probably not sure where to turn in this bloody lab-rat maze." Spike let go of her shoulders with a lingering brush against her back. "Stay low." He stood. "It's showtime."

Buffy swallowed and nodded, watching him pick up the reciprocating hammer and a few other things. "Be careful."

"Promise. Gotta get back here." He looked at her, could feel her eyes all big and worried, watching him. "Back in a minute." Spike turned away and slipped from their steel cocoon like a shadow swallowed whole by a greater darkness.

Buffy looked after him. _I never got to finish what I wanted to say._

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: I know the chapters are short, but I hope to keep them coming out quickly this way. I appreciate all the readers who reviewed and encouraged me to keep going._

 _Author's second note: Picks up within moments of where the last chapter left off._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _, Calantha S,_ _rpfan1976_ _, Jhiz, jackiemack916, and_ _omslagspapper_ _, as well as the kind guest reviewers._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part V**

She heard the sound of rubble crashing and frightened, surprised yells in the distance. Dust even made its way under the steel door. Amid the rolling, crashing chaos, Buffy could make out what sounded like a smoky, smug chuckle. In spite of her tension, she felt her lips curve in a smiled of her own. Score one for the smart ass vampire with the power tools…

Spike came bursting in, fast but slick and silent, waiting until the door was shut before jumping, arms raised, a short victory dance. "Got 'em! Blocked 'em off and they'll be re-routin' for an hour at least."

Buffy lifted her hand for a high five and he slapped it. "Good work."

"Prolly more than hour if they try to find another route headin' the same direction. I- uh- my work had a 'ripple effect'."

"What does that mean?" Buffy's bit her lip worriedly. "Are you sure that's the right effect?"

"Well-" Spike's words were covered by another chorus of curses and crashes. "Ha!" He clapped his hands once and rubbed them together gleefully.

Buffy realized another wall had just gone down. "You mean- your walls are taking down other walls?"

"Yep!"

"Spike! That's bad! Very bad! We're going to get trapped in here!"

"No, we're not. If we need to go out, we'll go out the other direction."

"Until they come in that way and collapse all _those_ walls!" She could feel hyperventilation itching to start.

"Shhhh!" He hushed her angrily. "Would you stop? The louder you are, the better they can track you, ever think of that? God, maybe your spinal fluid's leakin' out and your brain is shrivelin' up." At Buffy's panicked glance, he shook his head, "I'm joking, okay? It missed your spine, and all major organs as far as I can tell, by some miracle."

"Yeah, I'm just full of miracles." Buffy grumbled. _Actually- the guy who kills Slayers as his un-dead life's mission is trying to save my butt. So … that's a little miraculous._

"Buffy? Remember what I said? I wouldn't do anything to get you hurt. Not anymore." His voice was soft, soothing, changing tactics.

 _And remember what you were about to say? I see you differently. But not the way you want to be seen._ "I get that, Spike. I -um- I can see you differently." The flash of hope in his eyes shone even in the dark and dust. Her voice was gentle, surprising them both, " But probably not the way you want me to see you."

"Oh." His voice was hollow. Why shouldn't it be? All the hope went out of him. Briefly. "Doesn't mean I have to stop trying to change. One day, maybe you'll see." He squared his shoulders and fixed his gaze away from her.

"Yeah. Maybe." _I should say no. It might be kinder to make it clear now._

 _Except things aren_ _'t very clear._

"You can't shake me." Spike reminded her tonelessly. "You're not going to make me leave."

"We can make you leave."

Buffy's gasp escaped, the trace of a scream inside it. Spike rocketed to his feet, looking around frantically. "Where-"

"I can't see anyone." She felt nauseous. Trapped and unable to fight. Even sitting hurt, she couldn't imagine fighting or running right now, even with adrenaline boosting her system.

"We can sense you, vampire. You're a vital presence near her flickering one. Out of respect to your kind, we will let you pass, before we make you leave. Possibly in pieces." The voice was harsh, hissing and guttural, by turns, shouting and echoing through the ruins they found themselves in.

Spike laughed. "It's just talk, Luv, They couldn't actually hear us." He seemed almost relaxed.

Buffy, on the other hand, was not. "Okay, so great as it is that they're not actually hearing us, they're _here_ , and they know _you're_ here, and now there's creepy echo-y yelling." The urge to hyperventilate was getting stronger.

"They knew we were here anyway, just ignore them." Spike hushed.

"You have old energy- you are a master of your race! If she is your victim, we do not intend to steal your feed. Just give us her body afterward, we have a bounty we will gladly split."

Buffy shuddered involuntarily, hearing herself described in terms of meals and money. Like a thing. An already dead or dying thing.

Spike growled but said nothing.

"We are four, and you are one. If she is your ally, she is a useless one. Make a smart decision, blood-drinker."

"Spike." Buffy mouthed his name instead of speaking it, but Spike still heard or sensed it.

"I'm not answering." Spike silenced her sharply, face a dark, taut mask. "I'm not talkin' to them until they're in punchin' distance. They're just spit-ballin', seein' what they can get out of me. Gauge the space between us."

"Okay." Another soundless bit of speech.

Spike crouched. "It's gonna take them a few hours to clear that rubble, even with four bodies. Or they'll go around, and we'll block 'em again, an' that'll probably add an extra hour or so. You oughta be half strength by the time they get here, an' half a slayer is worth two of those flat-faced gits any night. We'll take 'em out." His companion nodded stiffly, unable to speak. "You don't have to be afraid. You just hafta wait." He encouraged, daring to reach out and grab her gently at the back of the neck, forcing her eyes to focus on his face.

"If anything happens to me-"

"Stop that!" He hissed.

"Listen to me! If anything happens, you have to warn Giles about these guys, you have to make him take Mom and- you have to make him take them out of the city. Everyone. Away." Her hand gripped his forearm, which served to bring them abruptly close together, foreheads touching.

"I promise." Spike was startled by the intensity and the nearness of her into making a simple reply instead of telling her not to be stupid, she'd survive. If she didn't, he wouldn't be around to carry out any missions for her, he'd be ashes beside her, that last line of defense broken. Adding to the derailment of his thoughts was the fact that she didn't release his arm or pull away. He felt himself leaning in, miracle of miracles, felt her short, half-panting breaths warmer and closer on his cool skin.

"You don't deign to speak to us? Your silence counts as your refusal of our generous offers! If you won't part ways with her, we will be happy to part your head from the rest of your body." Another threat was launched at them.

"Did I sound that much like a wanker in love with his own voice? When we were on opposite sides?" Spike asked, regretfully letting her go.

Buffy sank back slightly, still closer than she needed to be. "Only a little. You were better."

"Really?"

"Definitely. You had- you still have- this attitude that's so annoying and cocky, but you made it sound good. Funny, too." She managed a smile. "Sometimes it was almost fun."

"I thought so. I like this better though."

Buffy paused. "Yeah. Me, too."

"Vampire! Are you so weak a tiny, helpless human can best you?" The moment was interrupted by another demanding yowl in the distance.

Spike groaned. "That's fucking annoying."

"Yeah. But- as long as they keep talking ,we can tell how close they are." Buffy tried to look on the bright side.

"I know where they are. Trapped on one side of a vampire-made landslide, courtesy of my little beauty." He jerked his head towards the hammer.

"You have way too much of an attachment to that thing." Buffy wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, c'mon. Like you don't have a favorite stake."

"Mr. Pointy." Buffy confessed sheepishly, smiling when he snickered.

"At least I haven't named anything yet."

"Do you think we won't reach you? Your rigged walls are mere inconvenience to us!"

"Poofy things, aren't they?" Spike ignored their threats and taunts and spoke to Buffy in an almost conversational tone. "Who the hell goes around sayin' 'mere inconvenience'?"

"Villains. Bad ones. Or people with big egos."

"And little di- uh. Ones who got somethin' to prove."

Buffy couldn't believe a weak giggle could tumble out of her now. Now, when everything was pretty life or death-y. Spike smiled at her.

"Good to hear you laugh."

"This is seriously not a laughing matter, but…" She gestured to him helplessly.

"You've always been laughin' at me, Luv." His eyes flickered to hers, silently reminding her of a few years of verbal skirmishes of their own.

"I'd say it was pretty even."

"I like this kind of laughing better."

"Yeah. I think I do too." Buffy found her head leaning towards his again, and she drew away, forcing herself to stop before she did something she couldn't take back. "But I would totally miss the bantering and the snarking. Maybe if we end up fighting these guys we can still do that."

"Oh, I'll heckle you any time, any place." Spike promised with a smirk.

"I was thinking we could even try the buddy cop thing. You know, we heckle _them_ , taking turns."

"What, me? Share? I suppose, for you." And he beamed when she laughed again, suddenly, softly against his ear, the noise of grunted threats and arguing growls amid the rocks mysteriously muted by that one little sound. "How's the back?"

"It's better, I think." Buffy tried to stand. She fell back, clutching her sides. "Owie. Okay, that was a _bad_ thought."

Spike nodded. "We'd have more options if you were mobile. You know I can carry you, if you-"

"And drop me to fight off guys, leaving me to get picked up by henchman number three or four. I know. For once in my life, fighting won't work, running didn't work, and now I get to try hiding. I tried hiding one summer." Her face clouded over. "Bad things find me."

"Yeah, well, you find 'em too, and they usually end up regretting it." He sighed heavily. "I know I do sometimes."

"Huh?"

"Look at me! I was king of my own little castle, a nice, long, bloody history. I didn't have a chip in my head or an ache in my heart and now I've got both. I'm a cautionary tale of what happens in old Sunnyhell when you run afoul of the Slayer."

 _An ache in his heart. Which is probably this… crush thingy he has on me_. To cover her discomfort, she shook her head. "Run afoul of? That's pretty bad villain language, Spike."

"I'm not bein' the villain right now, I've got a pass." He grumped.

A snarling sound abruptly halted their discussion. "I heard something." A voice barked, and two replies in the unintelligible native tongue were given.

Spike and Buffy regarded each other tensely. Buffy pressed her finger to her lips. Time to stop talking. He nodded his agreement, but gave her a hopeful smile. We can still "talk", he seemed to say.

The sound of a single heavy tread, running, caught his attention. He rose on the balls of his feet, then frowned. _Runnin' a different way. Not at us. Tryin' a different route, to us._ He lost the footsteps, and his stomach curled. "Damn."

"What?" He started gesturing and Buffy sighed as she tried to decipher barely visible motions. "Forget it, they know we're here. What's wrong? I mean, what _else_ is wrong?"

"One's left the herd. I heard him leave an' then lost his footsteps. Gotta figure out where he's headin', gotta block him." Spike made as if to leave, and Buffy snagged his wrist.

"Wait. You could run right into him."

"Not if I block him first. I have time to right, bring it down once I'm sure exactly where he's heading."

"Be careful!"

 _That's the second time she's warned me. This time sounds different._

 _Don_ _'t get your damn hopes up, William._

* * *

The lone demon had gone to the west. There was a horrible moment where Spike could not only hear the footsteps but the curious raspy breathing. The demon was literally on the other side of the wall he was slinking along.

Pushing the hammer to the already weakened spots was dicey. If it fell wrong, if the demon realized what was happening and pushed back, pushed harder than he was pushing… _I can dig out. I won't die. The question is, if it falls wrong, can I dig out faster than he can? Can I make it back first?_

 _It has to get done, the longer you wait, the dicier it is._

* * *

Buffy had to put her hand over her mouth to stop the unexpected sob she felt rising when she heard that _sound_. The cry that died with a horrible gurgle, something- no, someone, trapped under the fallen walls.

 _It didn't sound like Spike._

 _It didn_ _'t even sound like a human, it sounded animal, choking and then…_

 _I can_ _'t do this anymore. Lying here, letting them get closer, letting someone else take the risks._

 _Spike._

Her thoughts turned off. If that was him, he probably wasn't dead- as in dusted. Just hurt. It depended if something fell across the neck, the head, was there anything wooden still surviving after the fire that could spear him? She wasn't finding out sitting here. He could be buried alive- well, undead, and needing her help, hurt because he had tried to prevent others from hurting her.

 _Because he cares about me._

 _I guess I care too. Not like he does, but I care and I_ _…_ She had to stop thinking, all her effort was now focused on pulling herself up, hands walking along the floor and up the wall until she wrenched upright, standing. _I can't leave him out there._

She walked a step, another, each one equally painful but less jarring as she knew what to expect. _This isn't working. Walking. I can crawl. Crawling's good right? Staying low? Let's say that, because I_ have _to go out there, and I'm kinda falling._

Spike entered the room to catch a Slayer falling forward, hands spread to catch herself, and instead they smacked into his chest. "Oi, what's-"

"You're okay!" Buffy sagged against him in relief- and necessity.

"Yeah- the other guy, not okay, Luv. Dead, pretty sure." He dared to rest his cheek to her hair, and her hands slid clumsily from his chest to his back. Hugging him. On purpose now. "It's all right. Everyone in our camp is fine. Fine, Slayer." He comforted.

She nodded against him, and together they sank down.

A ringing cry broke them apart. Though they didn't understand what was said, they heard the questioning sound in the call, thrice repeated, each time more desperate. Each pause was shorter between the cries until it turned into a long scream of rage.

"You killed one of our men." The cry changed to furious English.

"I thought we'd killed two." Spike was so tired of this damn hiding game that he answered before thinking. "Slayer got one, I got one. An' if that's not enough incentive for you to walk away, I don't know what is. I can come over that wall and take out the rest of you if you like."

Perhaps shocked that he was finally getting some response, or shocked by the vampire's attitude, it took a moment to get an incredulous response. "What sort of vampire are you? Defending the killer of your kind?"

"I kill my own kind too. They piss me off, a lot of 'em." Spike called back in a tired, irritable tone.

"What are you doing? There was no talking to them, we said that!" Buffy hissed accusingly.

"I know what we said. You said you'd wait here, and I find you about to charge out the damn door. Plans change." Spike hissed back.

"I was worried you got squished!"

"I wouldn't die!"

"I couldn't leave you out there, though, you can still get hurt. And probably you _could_ die. What if a really sharp piece of concrete went through your neck and poof- headless Spike. Headless ashes." She glared.

"Aww, Luv. You do care." He jibed, but she only looked down. _Oh_. Oh.

Another round of harried conversation had occurred among their assailants, and the result froze them in their own volley. "Spike. William the Bloody. You are with the girl."

Spike swallowed. Not like he was hiding his identity. Just a bit unsettling to hear them calling it out correctly. "Well, it only took you a couple hours, but you worked it out. Congrats! What gave it away?" Spike called back, voice even.

They ignored his question in favor of making another offer. "We will agree to tell everyone but our employer that _you_ killed her. We know you hunt Slayers. You receive the credit."

Buffy looked at him. Knowing Spike's history, his bragging points, it would be tempting. She tried to make out the struggle in his mind on the expression on his face, but he didn't give her much time.

"Tell you what- you leave now, and you tell your 'employer' that I'm helping her. Tell everyone. Maybe, God knows why, if they aren't properly scared shitless of her, they might be if they know who's on her side. I still dabble in impaling, mate. Can do your head on a nice piece of rebar if you'd like, I saw some stickin' round the wall your mate's under."

A positive torrent of abuse and insults came across the darkness.

Spike turned his attention back to Buffy. "Well. I don't think I need to speak the language to understand that I'm now public enemy number one."

"Oh goody. We're tied." Buffy sighed and laid her head back, realizing after a moment that it was resting on his shoulder. She decided she didn't care.

* * *

"They've gone quiet." Spike said after what seemed to be an interminable silence for all parties.

"That's probably bad." Buffy mumbled. She'd actually dozed off for a minute here and there.

"Bank on it."

"Still there?"

"Something is. I can hear the heartbeats. I hear a little scrape every now and again."

"Do you think they're going to leave, and wait on the outside?"

"And face you when you're full strength? When their two down and you've got me? That's bad card playing, Slayer, but it might happen."

"Vampire! We offer you one last chance to walk away." One Aur k'Ach interrupted, voice booming and fading strangely in the crumbling labyrinth.

"Keep it!" Spike shouted back.

"Hear our terms!"

"No!"

Buffy watched him with something like trepidation mounting. _He didn't leave at the mention of getting credit. Or getting money. Or even just getting out of this stupid, scary mess. He shot them down every time, ignoring them or flat out spitting their words back at them._

"You hope to stall us until sunrise."

"Look who got smart all of the sudden." Spike drawled.

"So that she will be strong enough and you'll fight your way out?"

"Not sure that's the plan, but it's a good one." Spike's body twitched with pent up nervous energy. Would rather go fight 'em right now…" he muttered to Buffy. He shouted angrily over the partition, "That little 'cave in' is as much for your protection as ours, mate!"

"You're not the only one capable of using a location to your advantage."

"What's that supposed to mean? That's the first rule of setting up a kill, you idiot. Maybe the second. First being know your enemy." He looked at Buffy, voice dropping as he spoke only to her. "Study them. Appreciate the strengths. Resourceful. Anything to hand, you could make it work for you. That was you."

"I guess so. I turned _you_ into something helpful. _Sometimes_." Buffy tried to kid to break the heavy atmosphere.

He winked. "Mutually beneficial. _Sometimes_."

Buffy felt her chest tighten in a familiar way that she didn't want to feel again, and in no way wanted to associate with Spike. The way she found his half smile, mostly hidden in the dark, suddenly very appealing. The way the twinkle in his eye was making her feel like smiling in spite of what was happening. It was easy to forget everything from the past, when the immediacy of the present, and the new light she saw him in, almost erased the old pains, old insults.

"What do you think they're hinting at?" Buffy concentrated on another aspect of the present to distract herself from the questionable feelings about the vampire.

"Huh? Them? I think they're all talk. Just make a lot of noise." Spike said with false confidence.

"I don't know. They got me." Buffy said grimly. "I thought you were all talk and swaggering around at first. You can be pretty dangerous." _This is dangerous. On soooo many levels._

"Aw, Pet. Make me blush." He fluttered his lashes.

"You do not consider us a serious threat, vampire?"

The duo groaned at the shouted intrusion..

"Not at the moment! And you keep buttin' in at real bad times, Flat-Face. Shut up or put up!" Spike growled, angrily rising. "This is a waste, Slayer. I can beat three to one, easy, I'm gonna-"

Buffy cut him off, "What if they split up again? You can fight three, but you can't be in two places at once."

Spike took the equivalent of a deep breath. "Yeah. You're right." _Leave her, take on the two, let her get ambushed by the third._

"I hate this. So much hate." Buffy ground her teeth and threw her head back with a disgusted sigh. Two of them should be able to wipe the floor with three, especially a trio that was worn out from tracking and digging out. But here she was, useless, depending on Spike, and her helplessness was actually tying his hands as well.

"Yeah. They're annoyin'." Spike remained deliberately obtuse.

"You know what I mean."

"You mean the part where you expect me to get on your case about not being able to fight right now? That doesn't matter. That's temporary. Keeping you alive, that's what matters."

Buffy took a steadying breath. "Thanks."

"I think you'll want to reconsider your attitude." Yet again the voice from the other side of the walls barged in. "Are you willing to risk your life for hers?"

"Been doin' it all night!" Spike shouted back, kicking the wall, making the steel reverberate loudly.

"You were offered the chance to walk away, but you don't consider us worth worrying over. What about the sunlight, vampire? Can you ignore that?"

"What the…" Spike frowned, puzzled.

"Spike. Spike!" Buffy felt something drop on her head, and then felt a small shower of dirt cascade down from above.

"What's wrong, what's on you?" Spike's panicked voice carried as he dropped down beside her, frantically brushing at her, mimicking her actions.

"Not what's on you. What's _above_ you." The mocking voice from outside hinted.

Spike looked up, speaking to Buffy, not responding to the demon outside. "Ceiling tiles used to be here- under electric lights, there were those plastic panes. All burnt away…"

"Cement?" Buffy shrugged, a feeling of dread mounting in her once again.

"We're under a bloody fraternity. If anything, we'd see a basement above us." _Maybe. Or there was probably a small amount of earth between the basement and the labs._ He kept that thought to himself for a moment.

"They went _into_ the frat house?"

"You were smart to pick a place with lots of human, demonic, and spirit energy. But you're a fool if you thought one sizable house would cover the entire structure below."

"The elevator shaft," Buffy shook her head as she looked at Spike. "We _are_ under the house."

"No… we _were_ when we saw it. That was my marker. Then we came into this room." Spike mentally counted out feet from the shaft to their hiding spot, trying to line up the dimensions of Lowell House above and the labs below. It was tight, and hard to recall the exact location to location scale of a place you'd only been in once and a place that was now nothing but a skeleton of itself. "We're under the house- or the lawn behind it." Spike finally said softly, voice tight.

"That's a long way to tunnel in a couple hours without attracting attention. A-and a long shot that where we are is actually open air, not under a basement." Buffy shouted, making Spike start and her pursuers give an unpleasant laugh.

"So you're strong enough to speak now. You're not strong enough, even at your finest, to stop the sun from rising. You care to wager your vampire's life that we can't expose him to the sun? We can tunnel at an angle, if we need to. Not to mention, coming through a concrete barrier- the fall out, landing on your soft human skull- not pretty."

Buffy looked at Spike, bravado of a moment ago now mired in doubts. "We figured how to block them in all directions- except coming from above."

"It's a long shot that we'd ever see daylight unless they're diggin' up the whole ruddy place with a backhoe." Spike snorted. Another shower of dirt fell at his feet as he spoke. "They could be digging nearby and that would still happen, disturbin' the ground around the site." He said with false ease. "One demon diggin' for oh, say about four hours by the dawn probably couldn't-"

"Two. There might be two. They could have split up again and-"

Spike held up a hand and silenced her. Concentrating. They'd only heard two voices for awhile, and he could only hear muffled thumping of heartbeats. Individual beats were indistinguishable right now, as the slayer's and demons' hearts were pumping hard, fear or anger fueling them. "I killed one by the wall. During the crashing…"

"One ran for it?"

"God dammit!" He cursed himself. He lost one. One had b een a distraction- so one could run a real threat.

"It's okay, if one left, he hasn't been gone for long. Not _too_ long." Buffy took his cursing as answer.

"And one demon couldn't-"

"No! Two." Buffy reiterated. "Only four came down, but there were five to begin with. There was a fifth one, Spike. What if I didn't kill him, what if I just hurt him?" No way one demon could get to their location and dig this far down, that fast. "The fifth has been up top, digging since they found us." Buffy realized with ice settling in her stomach.

"You don't know that."

"I'm a real good guesser, okay?" Her tone turned bitter.

"You can be wrong, Slayer, you gotta gift for it sometimes." His voice was pointed, sharp and getting angry.

"It's a big risk, Spike. If I'm wrong, great, if they're wrong, they're location is way off, super. And if it's not? It's game over for you."

"Buffy-"

"There's no cover here." She gestured angrily to the bare walls.

Spike's voice dropped. "So we run now. They're blocked off and we have two more routes around. We'll find an exit."

"Or we'll find _them_. And there's no running for me. Not yet. Walking didn't even work."

"Are you… tellin' me to go? Save myself?" Spike asked incredulously.

Buffy hesitated. "No, I'm saying that— that you don't have to stay."

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: I know the chapters are short, but I hope to keep them coming out quickly this way. I appreciate all the readers who reviewed and encouraged me to keep going._

 _Author's second note: Picks up within moments of where the last chapter left off._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, juggling, notashamedtobe, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _, and_ _omslagspapper_ _._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part VI**

"Are you… tellin' me to go? Save myself?" Spike asked incredulously.

Buffy hesitated. "No, I'm saying that— that you don't have to stay. That's all. This looks bad. One of us dies or both of us die, it just depends on the way things go, and you promised me that-"

"Shut up!" Spike cut her off. "That was a promise made for if somethin' happened to you, not if I _let_ somethin' happen to you to save myself. _That. Isn't. Happening_." His voice had gone from human to animal, a feral sound complete with fangs and glowing irises.

"I am going to get …" She let that ugly truth go unspoken. She fixed him with a fevered gaze, voice intense. "You stand a better chance of getting out alone, and you could take care of them. You _promised_ me you would take care of them."

"Well, I'm not leaving you. I don't care if this place opens up at high noon in the fuckin' desert, I'm not leaving. So shut up about it and stop asking. You're getting out of here. When daylight comes, you'll be better, maybe not all better, that back will take a few days to heal, but your powers are back and you'll take 'em down easy."

"But if you wait until daylight, you might end up on fire. And I _know_ the older the vamp, the longer the burn, but you'll still go up in flames. You get that, right?"

"Yes!" He snapped, and grabbed his lighter roughly from her hand, lighting a smoke, no longer caring to abstain since their enemies clearly knew their position now.

Buffy waited. "Yes?"

"Yes, I said yes." Spike snapped and scowled down at his cigarette before turning away, moving into a corner opposite from her, his body language clearly putting distance between them that was more than physical.

"Oh sure, like that's going to stop me." Buffy rolled her eyes, and dragged herself painfully over the floor, wincing as the black soot that coated everything now coated her arms and front of her shirt completely.

"What, I can't have a corner? I gotta sit next to you? You couldn't have gotten cuddly earlier?" Spike bemoaned in an aggravated tone.

Buffy ignored the crass hints. They were put on, she could tell. "Noseless and Noisy out there is right. I can't stop the sun. You can't either. I can't walk out of here."

"You can't. I won't. The end." He puffed in her direction.

"Do you have a death wish?" Buffy demanded.

"Not especially." Spike shrugged.

"Then why?" She asked in a frustrated voice.

It was tempting to crack and shout out, "Because I love you! Though God knows it isn't for your brains." But offense trumped directness for the moment. "Why won't I leave you in here to very likely die an' go trottin' off to save my own skin?" Spike reiterated in a miffed, hurt tone.

His incredulous, pained tone made her feel extremely small and somehow petty for asking. _But I shouldn't. I'm trying to make sure at least one of us survives._ "Spike, think about-"

Spike fired back before she could finish, "You wouldn't leave me in here, would you?"

Buffy's shocked hiss mirrored his of moments ago, "No!" _I couldn't just walk away, knowing what he was facing. You have to stay and help. Anyone who was trapped and facing death by demonic bounty hunter. This is not a Spike thing. Mostly not._

Spike flung an arm out in entreaty."Well, then you oughta realize I wouldn't either! Why would you- oh." His sneer and shake of his head was bitter. "'Cause I'm the 'bad guy'. That's what the 'bad guy' would do, huh, Slayer?"

Buffy hastily shook her head, protest on her lips, "I know you're not a bad guy, I just meant- " The words ground to a halt under his sudden startled stare. _What did I just say?_

 _She finally said it._ Spike cleared his throat. "Not every demon is evil." The vampire murmured.

 _Anya isn't. Maybe way strange, but not evil. Not anymore. But she's not a demon anymore_. Buffy dismissed the exception to the rule, the former demon, a once in a lifetime encounter. Human now.

Spike spoke as if reading her mind, almost picking up where her train of thought ended. "Look at Demon Gal. You trust Anya enough, don't you? That's one vicious bitch, thousand years in the blood, gone pretty damn good an' white hat."

"Yeah, but she's not 'demon gal'. That's the point. She's human." Buffy argued, but inside she was having an argument with herself. _No, that isn't the point at all. This is off track, this is_ not _the point._

But Spike was speaking. Well, snorting. "Oh, please, Luv! She lost her powers in a freak moment of evil gone wrong! A vengeance demon on the job who got stuck in her disguise, which happened to be a human. I lost my 'powers', at least when used for violence against the general populace, and I'm still in the same body. That's not really much difference."

"One big difference! Anya was made a mortal human- with a mortal _soul_."

Another scoffing noise, almost a laugh. "Those things?" Spike challenged dismissively. "You can pop 'em in an' out, as you might remember." Her wince told him she did. "It matters what you _do,_ Slayer. I'm evil an' soulless, but if Glory would take me instead of… yeah, I'd do it in an unbeating heartbeat. But then you got humans with souls who kill, an' burn, an' torture. 'Cause it's what they _wanna_ do. Ain't nothin' so evil as the human heart, when it's what the owner wants to do."

Stunned and strangely apprehensive to ask this next question she did so anyway, feeling like whatever she heard would show her parts of Spike, bad or good, soul or no soul, that she could never un-see. "What do you wanna do?"

Spike licked his lips, tasting a mixture of soot, cement dust, and the scent of her that somehow'd turned into a flavor when she was so close to him. _Be in love. with you. Have you love me, too. Shag you 'til you scream, make love until I can't even say your name, an' that'll take some doin' as I don't even breathe…. Have the Little Bit feel safe as long as I'm around. Sneak cocoa with Joyce and rip on Rupes._

He had a thousand things to say, to do- and the sheer volume of them clogged his throat, left him mute.

"Spike ? Did you hear me?" Buffy asked hesitantly.

"I want another chance to- do things I wanted when I was alive. I- didn't get to."

"Okay… such as?" _Because I heard a big chunk of his life story the other night- and he said he's always been bad._ "Getting a bigger, badder gang? Breaking more of 'society's rules'?"

Ah. Right. Lying- or at least creative and selective interpretation of his life events may have colored the current explanation. "No, Luv. Those things- don't matter in the end. The things you want to do- well, you've been in the near death sitch plenty of times. You don't wish you had more laurels around your name, do you? You wish you'd… had somethin' more with the people you loved. More time. More chances."

Moved, Buffy opened her mouth to agree, when hurt swelled in her heart and blocked up the words. _And then, when you live, you fight your way out of the "sitch", get the time and chances, you survive, your boyfriends leave town._ "Yeah. You wish for more time and more chances. So I'm giving you a chance to get more time. And give the others a fighting chance, buy them some time before Glory gets to them." Her voice was barely audible now. "Go, Spike."

"Already told you no. Said I wouldn't leave. You can't walk out of here, so I won't. The end. What part of 'the end', did you not understand?" He snarled stubbornly.

He'd changed that declaration, very slightly. Before there hadn't been such a strong correlation between her inability to walk out and his choice not to. Oh, it had been there, but she'd ignored it, pretended not to hear the unspoken causation. It caused all this- weird tension. Some kind of feeling she couldn't, or wouldn't name.

Buffy heaved a deep breath, "I don't get the part where you said you don't have a death wish, don't want to die, where you wish you had more time, and more chances, and you still. Won't. _Leave_." She pushed his shoulder hard as she could, which was a pitiful amount of pressure, she had to admit.

Spike gave up. He might well be ash in a few hours time, and he didn't have a lot to lose either way, really. She was as stubborn as he was, and deliberately blind to anything subtle, or even not so subtle this time. Spike pushed her hand away and growled, "I'll tell you exactly why I'm stayin', an' then you shut up about this, you can go sulk in your own bloody corner." He glared at her, pain in his eyes visible even in the dark. This was never how he wanted to explain things. To tell her how he'd changed. "The thought of burning to death in the morning seems a lot less painful than the idea of leavin' you tonight. Or ever. But that's my own thing, Slayer, my own little folly, you don't gotta comment on it."

 _That's good. Because I don't know what to say. I can't even speak._ Buffy reached up and grabbed his elbow with weak but determined fingers.

Spike met her eyes, and when she didn't look away, or speak, just dug her feeble fingers in deeper, he let her pull herself up, using him for support. She followed his request. Wasn't saying a damn thing. Just looking at him, a solemn expression on her face that he was trying to decipher when she ruined his concentration. Shocking them both, when her hand slid up and he found himself letting her pull his head down, found her kissing him on the lips, hard.

 _What?_ He couldn't even enjoy the often dreamed of sensation at first, too confused. But confusion faded as realization kicked in. _She's really kissing me. Buffy. Kissing_ me. He kissed back.

* * *

Spike pulled back, wide eyed, when she gasped for air under his lips. "That's not the way to get me to leave, idiot." He panted, despite not needing to breathe. " I'm never gonna go after _that._ "

 _So I'll get to watch him burn in front of me. Which means he'll end up gone, whether he wants to or not._ "Why do guys have to be all noble, or _all stupid_ , and leave just when I-" Buffy halted the flow of words abruptly.

"Just when you what?" Spike prodded. When she didn't answer, he prodded again, voice different, hopeful and scared, almost yearning, "When you what, Buffy? Can't I know? You followed me into my little corner, can't I visit yours for a second?"

Buffy felt like the words were drawn out of her rather than her consciously sharing them. "Just when I think I want them to stay. When I think maybe- something could start. Or work out. Just when… I start to think I could like them. At least want them around." Her voice was dying away, word by word until even Spike had to strain to catch the last of them.

"You want me to leave, or you don't?" Spike touched her hand hesitantly, surprised how tentative he suddenly was. _But I have to be. 'Cause it could all go pop any second, a bloody big explosion right in my face- just when she starts to see that- I might be something to her, or I could be if I stayed._

She shrugged angrily, helplessly, an emotion that was getting a lot of mileage lately. "In about four hours, it's all the same, isn't it? If you leave me here- yeah. If you stay here- same result. We're not here, together."

"And you want that?"

"I - I don't want to lose the chance to find out, okay? Every time I think I'm about to have a chance, it goes away. I know I should be used to it, but I'm not."

"Good." Spike said with sudden firmness. "When you get used to it, then you start to give up. C'mon." He planted his boots on the ground and then he was mobile.

"Huh? What are we-"

"We're leavin' here. We're goin' through the labs, north or west, until we get back to the tunnels. If they come after us, I'll take 'em. And if they dig- well, they have to dig pretty fast, or have some luck and skill to hit a movin' target." He made a tight circuit of their room once, then seemed to have locked on a plan and his movements took on new purpose.

"But- but we could end up moving towards them! Or towards the spot where they're digging! We had this discussion - a lot. Recently." Buffy watched him loading pockets in horror, and when he put his coat on with a flourish and shake, she knew he was serious. He was going to take them out through the treacherous maze of pre-damaged walls, where a strong kick, maybe even a little push, would create a cave-in. Out into the arms of assassins, and into unknown paths, possibly into ambushes and outnumbered fights, and direct sunlight.

 _Because he'd rather risk it all rather than separate. Even though we barely have anything that you could consider "together", he'll risk everything to make sure we stay that way._

 _I_ _'d do the same thing. I've tried to, before._

 _That_ _'s my kind of noble and stupid._

"Help me up?" Buffy held out her hand.

Spike smiled. "Always. From now on, until time runs out."

She smiled back, but it was a wobbly effort.

"Hey now. Big toothy grin for me, Luv. Time only runs out, if you can't out run time." With a wink and a pull, he brought her to her feet, and then into his arms, sharing her wince of pain, pressing his head to hers for a moment before putting the brave smile back on his features. "Ready to find out who's faster?"

She took a deep breath. "Go for it."

 _To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's Note: I apologize for the gihugic delay. This piece is almost done. Originally created for the October Challenge Month at Elysian Fields, my plan is to roll this piece into a stopping spot that can be picked up in another challenge (already selected) for next year's piece. With one little one shot in the middle to keep people happy :) )_

 _Author's second note: Picks up within moments of where the last chapter left off._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, juggling, notashamedtobe, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _, whiters, TieDyeJackson, Jauntilyaskew, Jhiz, Marty Powell, Ginger0826, CalanthaS, JackieMack916, RAGAnne, and_ _omslagspapper_ _._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part VII**

"We head west." Spike mouthed against her ear. It was time to be quiet again, gone from fortress to moving target. "Not that they can get over that mess any time soon."

"That was to get to us, they had to go through. Now couldn't they just find another hall that connects and go _around_?" Buffy whispered weakly. Being carried, even carefully, sent waves of pain through her that reached from neck to toes.

Spike supposed they could. He didn't answer, just crept along more quickly. Unhappily, another voice answered for him.

"Do you think we can't tell when you've moved? Do you think you can outrun us? We are the mighty Aur k'Ach. We connect to the energy of your beings! Maybe it took us awhile to find her, but once we have locked onto our prey, we can find them until they _die._ "

"Or until they do. When I see 'em, I'm gonna rip the tongues out first. Problem with that?" Spike huffed softly against her ear, feeling her holding her breath at the menacing words.

"Save me a jawbone." Buffy whispered through teeth tightly clenched against the pain, and felt him laugh against her, the vibration of his chest against her side. _It feels like a long time since I was this close to someone. Close enough to feel lips on my skin, laughter against me that I can feel. Riley and I- stopped laughing too soon. Angel and I almost never laughed. And now… Well, I guess if we get killed, we went out laughing. That's something._

 _Wait. Why is there a "we"? There wasn't a few hours ago. Well, a_ different we, _a we that is- this sounds messed up even in my head. Maybe I'm passing out. Things feel slow and -_ "Are we not moving?" Buffy whispered.

"Your head's not busted, we're stopped." Spike stood listening. Their pursuers were both talking, loud taunts and mockeries interspersed with the continual noises of shifting rock. Almost deliberately loud. Artificially loud. "Bugger." Spike suddenly hissed vehemently.

"What?" His passenger demanded. "What now?"

"Thing is- it's all about energy signatures, right?"

"So I heard. Why is this bad now? I mean, aside from the lovely idea of being hunted down until my death?" _Which should be in an hour or so, so… really not as inconvenient as you'd think._

"Oh, don't fret about that bit, Slayer. They'll be scuffs on your shoes in a matter of hours." Spike scoffed with more confidence than Buffy felt. "Think I remember a bit about them not only bein' able to track and sense prey- but tap into any of their kind."

"They already know about their buddies being down here with them- or up top." Buffy hissed, although a new wave of dread was filling her already tense stomach.

"Guys down here are tracin' us, even if they can't _get_ to us- and I'm willin' to bet the bloke up top is receivin' their signals." Spike said in a tight voice. "In other words, they know a pretty good target zone, that they can't reach, but the guy on the outside has the target too. And _he_ doesn't have a blockade."

 _So they really are lowering the net._ Buffy sat up slightly in his arms. "Then it wasn't all b.s.?"

"Maybe not."

"So we need to move faster. Keep the target moving faster."

"Faster means sloppier, and they'll be counting on that."

A pause. "You can put me down."

"No. I can't, and you don't mention it again." Spike snarled. "Think of something else."

Buffy tried. She swallowed before saying bravely, "We'll work with fast and messy. From what I've seen, that's your jam."

Spike found himself managing to give her a wink and a smirk. "I'm an expert in fast and messy. But there are a few things I do nice and slow. And very bloody thoroughly, all sorts of attention to detail, Slayer." He swiftly glided, voice a mere whisper, senses scanning their surroundings. Senses also all at once keenly aware of a faster heartbeat and rushing of blood in the form he cradled. "We get out of this, I'll be happy to give you a demo."

"Maybe I'll take you up on it." Buffy whispered in an oddly high pitched voice. Her ride stumbled and they both swore softly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He coughed gruffly.

* * *

A sharp corner, a tangling circuit, hearing walls collapsing as they went, all sent them into a fresh run while unintentionally holding each other more tightly.

"Do you think they're trying to block our route out? Like- funneling us where they want us?" Buffy asked what they were both thinking.

"I think they might be tryin' to, but they limit themselves each time they bring down another section. We're still winning, movin' faster than they can dig out to cut us off." _An' we've been lucky. They didn't bring the tools I did, didn't know we'd end up here. So far the walls might block routes, but they haven't trapped us in._ One large section of wall, shaken by the domino-like effect created in various parts of the tunnels crashed down a mere foot in front of them. He cleared it with one running jump, clutching his companion tightly. _Haven't trapped us_ completely.

 _An' they're going to lose. Because I have some pretty impressive motivation._

"Am I getting too heavy?" Buffy asked apologetically as he slowed for a minute, seeming somehow winded, even for him.

"Nope. I could hold you up for hours. Another thing you might enjoy a demo of, in different, more pleasin' situations." Spike gave her a crooked grin, eyebrow doing a quick arch in her direction.

"Maybe." Buffy repeated her words from earlier as her inside rushed through another confusing surge. _There shouldn't be any "maybe"! But there it was again._

"Hey." Spike said softly, his tone startling her. "Are you- are you sayin' maybe to play along, or 'cause you think you're goin' to owe it to me?"

Buffy started a heated protest, "I-"

"Because you don't. Won't ever. This isn't some favor I'm gonna call in- even though I might've said somethin' along those lines earlier. That's just- that's just knowin' it hurts when I tell you the truth an' you don't believe it. But now…"

"I believe you. I - wasn't … I didn't think of it like that. I don't think I can flirt right now. Too tired and facing-death-ly. I think I said maybe because I- I must kinda mean maybe. Which isn't yes, and it isn't no. I don't know why I'm at maybe, but that's where I am." Her head sank back to his shoulder, eyes closed in exhaustion. "Not really a great explanation, but it's all I have, Spike."

"It was honest an' not even a little bitchy. I quite liked it, Luv." He paused at a junction of corridors yo listen and get is bearings. "Maybe's a good place to start."

"Getting out of here would be a good place to- ahh!"

"Whoa!" Spike threw them forward, skidding down as walls fell behind them. When the momentum ceased, he was sprawled inched above her, on his knees, precariously holding himself off of her, but unable to have prevented the unavoidable- letting her hit the ground when they escaped. "Oh shit, Buffy, sorry! Sorry, Luv, you okay?" Spike pulled himself off of her, scraped hands pulling chunks of grit from her hair.

"Sure." Buffy answered dizzily. "I'm fine." _No. Not really, but I can take it. And listen to his voice…_ Groggily, something instinctual in her recognized that tone. Genuine worry, distress… the timbre of the tone you only hear when you're afraid for someone you love.

"No, you're not. Bleeding again. We need to get you topside, and need your Watcher."

"No. Don't get G- don't get him. You have enough experience in - patching people." Buffy said urgently, words slightly thickened, almost a slur.

 _Oh God. Did she hit her head? I let her hit the ground!_ Dammit. _Dammit, not again._ "Listen, it sounds like- like maybe the stuff's peaked- you gotta trust me, okay? You sleep it off and let me get us home."

"Not sleepy. But I still… trust you to- get us home."

 _Not sleepy- then she prob'ly_ did _bash her head. Or the drugs finally beat adrenaline_.

Unable to be sure, and hating it either way, he muscled through, shifting her gently up closer and changing his silent, quick strides into a full on run. "Hey. Hey, Buffy?" Spike tapped her forehead with his chin as her eyes slid shut.

"Hm?"

"You're not gonna give up, you promise me?"

"I'm not."

"Good. I won't stop carrying you if you- just stay with me, all right, Sweetheart?" He urged, voice not exactly calm.

"You're really sweet when you're worried. And you're worried." Buffy struggled to sound coherent, sluggish brain, blood loss, and a new blow to the head impeding that effort.

"Shh. Don't say that too loud." Spike looked anxiously around them.

"Why? They stopped calling insults at us awhile ago." Buffy nuzzled into his coat, eyes shut tight against the new throbbing.

Spike faltered in his quicker, still silent steps. They had. "They're too busy trying to get out themselves. Or keep up, and keep tracking us." Spike hesitated. "I'm pretty sure they could hear some of what I said to you."

"So?"

"They know they're wasting their time tryin' to get me to leave you. If I wouldn't leave you as part of some truce, or to take some deal- I'm sure as hell not going to leave you when I- when I feel like this about you."

Buffy blearily looked at him. _How he feels about me. Even they get it. Evil guys get it. Evil knows about evil. They believe him. Maybe I should too. Or at least think about it in the morning. When I'm better._ "Got to get out. To get to maybe. To see if it's all true." Buffy whispered.

"See if it's all true." _She's willing to even think of…_ "You're not yourself right now." He eased the eventual, possible rejection. It had happened before, her closeness, their mutual intrigue, and then her slamming the walls down round herself, locking him out.

"Lies." Buffy sounded small and pained, but still defiant. "You're the one who keeps saying I'm still myself, still smart, still a fighter, even when I'm all powerless and potioned up."

"I'm giving you outs, idiot."

"You don't give yourself any." Buffy realized all at once. _No one else has done that. There's always some "but" or "if I can…" Spike doesn't have outs for himself, because he's trying so hard to get in. He has to try anything._

"I- can't risk doin' that. Part of that 'wanting to be closer to you an' it goin' bad' motif I've got goin'." Spike huffed. "If I'm not in all the way- you'd never give me a half-chance. I don't really blame you. You've had wankers muck around with your heart- an' I don't even know what the hell I've done, not bein' an object of your affection, jus' in general buggerin' things up…" He swallowed, shifted her and realized in two more corridors they would see one of the exits he remembered. That would be the place it all went wrong if it was going to. "I'm still what I am, but what I am now- is on your side. Not switchin'. If you see I'm stickin' around, maybe you'll start to see I mean what I say. Mean everything. You know, all the good bits."

"It's kind of nice. The fact that you think like that."

He was momentarily put off his stride by the simple sweetness, unvarnished, unprickly honesty in her voice. "That's not what you started off with when we bumped into each other tonight." Spike reminded her, the gently sarcastic note still evident, even in his tiniest whisper.

"A lot happens in a few hours, Spike."

"Happens in a few minutes, too. Few seconds." His chin tightened. " Hang on, and keep your head down."

* * *

The twenty feet between the final corridor and the west exit Spike planned to use felt like the longest run of his very long unlife. Crossing slightly open area, he could see dimly in the pitch black that the landscape had changed. No longer were there as many rows of maze-like walls, but more like an uneven sea of rubble meeting still standing concrete. He could hear their pursuers. No longer digging through, but instead seeming to come over top the uneven mass. Once dug out initially, they'd made their own path. The one grace being that their path kept breaking, dropping them down again. They got farther than I thought they would, faster than I thought- but they're not up to us yet.

Two far back, one in pretty damn close range. Got an idea. Put your arms round my neck and hold on to your wrists, lock 'em all right?"

"Piggy back ride?" Buffy asked.

"Piggy _front_ , not givin' 'em a shot at you." He let her legs drop as slowly as he dared, swinging her from his neck like an extremely oversized charm, he used both hands to take the steel railed ladder that ran up the wall, keeping his head pointed up, knowing if he looked dead on- he'd look right into her eyes. This was the closest they'd ever been, face to face, kissing distance, bodies pressed up together. Hard not to think about someone you love like that, even if everything in you screams you have a bigger worries and no time for that now. " Sorry, Slayer." He dragged them up quickly, his legs tangling with hers, jostling them along, wincing with her when her back hit the rungs. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. Saving my life here." Buffy gasped in a mixture of fear and pain when she realized what he was doing. "Spike-"

"Hold on." He reminded her without pausing. _God, this better work._

From below, an angry bellow and something flew at them, smashing the wall where'd they'd been- just as Spike went airborne.

Buffy swallowed her scream as they flew only a short distance- and fell a few inches before his hands rang out as they seized metal.

The second level of the labs. Only remaining structures left, the emergency "submarine" style emergency ladders leading to what had been the top level of the labs- and the elevator shaft.

Spike pulled them up and squeezed them through the opening. There was no interior elevator structure remaining, no cables, just burnt out metal framing. All of the lab proper was down, this was a small row of box-like rooms. "Offices for Walsh and higher ups, I guess. Observation platform, walkway…" Buffy panted as they balanced, gesturing weakly with her head. "What's the plan?"

"One minute." Spike pushed away, leaving her sitting on the wide beam.

"What are you doing?" Buffy's voice became more alert.

"Removing the most direct route to us. Unless these guys packed grappling hooks…"

"You're taking the ladder down?"

"It's already weak, I can pull it out at the top, four screws an' a little vamp strength, no more ladder."

"How are you going to get back over here!?"

"Split second timing, jump as I push off, send the ladder down and me over. Be right back." _I hope_.

"He's crazy. He's _crazy_ , we're going to be stuck up here, and there's not even an elevator cable to climb back down on- and he's going to fall." Buffy muttered, trying to rise.

"I'm crazy," Spike stuck his head back in as a clang echoed below them, "but I didn't fall." _It was a near thing, though._

"If I could move more, I'd kick you- or hug you." Buffy frowned, puzzled. "Scared me."

"Hey, I'm not gonna leave you, remember? Just need to get to higher ground. And keep them off of it."

"But- we came down and entered at ground level- well, ground level of this whole underground/basement thingy."

"An' on ground level, there's one closer than the others, he's the real immediate threat. I'm not wastin' anymore time gettin' to the exit and havin' him get close enough to lob somethin' else at us. We're goin' above him to the exit, then nippin' down and out."

"That's- a lot of work." Buffy found herself swaying in his grip once more as he began their path across the beams.

"But you're worth it." Spike hesitated a minute, then reached into his pocket and threw something in the opposite direction as hard as he could.

"They sense our energy- is that gonna work?" Buffy hissed.

"We'll see. It might since it sounds up high, and we are. Hope it does, 'cause I liked that knife."

"Your knife?" She felt a pang for him, sacrificing one of the relatively few things he had on the slim chance it might buy them time.

"Not my only one. Don't sound so sad, Luv."

From below came a shouted conversation, and even in the foreign tongue, the pauses and questioning tone could be understood. "They haven't figured out where we are, or at least how to get to us." Spike assessed.

"Are we heading back to - where we came in?" Buffy asked as the concrete walls and steel flashed past them.

"With a bit of a detour, yeah."

 _Back to his crypt. They'll find his home. His safe place. Even I didn't know about the lower level and I've been there dozens of times._

"Think they can take me on my home turf, Slayer?" He made a derisive noise. "Not bloody likely."

"I guess we'll find out." Buffy felt the edges of the world blurring and soon her eyelids fell and stayed shut against her will.

* * *

She woke up with a smothered scream, a cold hand over her mouth and wind rushing past her. Rushing upwards.

 _We're falling!_

"We're landing." Spike had jumped from the top level to the place closest to the exit they needed, the place where he knew labs met tunnel, and eventually met the way to his crypt. His boots hit the ground with a smashing sound, earning only one cry from their pursuers before they were out of the lab proper.

"Sorry about the jump, no ladder this side, no elevator cable, either." Spike winced as she flopped against his arms, and her body twitched in one long roll of pain.

"They- didn't catch up to us." Buffy murmured. "How long was I sleeping?"

"A few minutes. I think you might have passed out. You need fluids." _Pulse is getting thready. This stuff might be on the downswing, but getting jostled every few minutes for the last hour can't have helped._

"Fluids at your place?"

"Water pipe, clean cups. Not fancy but it'll do to start."

"If we get there."

"Unless they can get in front of us- which they can't unless they were already in the tunnels ahead of us- we're gettin' there. And unless this loner on the outside has some heavy machinery- he's not getting through the tunnel roof."

Buffy felt his chest expand against her side. _We're going to be okay. He believes we're going to make it._

 _He always believed it._

"How long until daylight?"

"Few hours still. If they make a coordinated attack, it'll still take a couple hours for them to all meet in the same place. If they come after us as quick as they can, goin' one on one for the first two, prolly a couple hours back before Tweedle Dee and Dum can follow and double team us."

Buffy just stared owlishly.

"Slayer?"

"You think fast."

"Not really. Not always." Spike confessed. "When it comes to- when it comes to you, like I said, I've always been runnin' my A-game."

"Thanks. For getting me this far. Whatever happens, I really do mean that. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Yeah, you would've-"

"I might've done something, Spike, but not this. And this was a good plan. Whatever happens, this was a good plan."

"Whatever happens- _we're_ good together, Buffy." Spike said softly, an intensity in his voice that penetrated the haze surrounding her.

"Not always." She swallowed.

"From now on. If you let me help."

"Consider this your trial run." Buffy laughed weakly.

"Promo package?" He laughed back _. I love this girl. Everything about her, even the annoyin' shit, the pride, the stubbornness, the obsession with footwear…the way she jokes. The way she holds the hurt in, lets it out, everything. I was already fallin' and now I'm gone. An' she might not feel the same in the morning. It's all maybes with us._

"What is it?" Buffy whispered. "Do you hear anything?"

"No, an' we're halfway home." Spike quickly reassured.

"Something's different." Buffy prodded.

"I hope you feel this way in the morning."

"Gee, thanks." Buffy tried to slap his arm but ended up bumping her hand into his instead.

"I mean- how you feel about me. I know, I know, it's not like I want you to feel. But it's a bit better than it was, right?"

Passing through the small barred patch of light as they went under a grate, Buffy looked up in time to see the wistful smile on his face.

 _That should scare me. How sick and sudden this "infatuation" came on. But right now, the world seems scary, and Spike's just Spike._ "It's a lot better than it was. It's not the way you'd like it, but not the way I wanted it either. I call good compromising." She smiled as she slid into unconsciousness again.

"I'll take it." He kissed her hairline and flew towards home.

* * *

 _To be concluded…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Author's note: Picks up within moments of where the last chapter left off._

 _Author's Second Note: May I humbly ask all my friends and fans to support me with my first published ebook, "Done With Dating" by S.C. Principale , a non-vampy retelling of "I Don't Date". Short, darkly smutty, and means a lot to me. For any details, drop me a line._

 _Author's Third and most important note- To the glorious Sirius120, who has made the world a richer place by being it for one more year. Happy Birthday, dear friend._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, juggling, notashamedtobe, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _, TieDyeJackson, Wonder and Ashes, Cloongarvin, Wesfan1234, Jauntilyaskew, Jhiz, Marty Powell, Ginger0826, CalanthaS, JackieMack916, RAGAnne, and_ _omslagspapper_ _._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Part VIII**

"I'm gonna block the entrance to the tunnel." Spike woke her as he deposited her on the lavishly spread bed. "I hated to wake you up, but figured it'd better come from me instead of the thousand pounds of falling rock."

"But… you're blocking one of your escape routes. How you get around in the day." Buffy struggled to sit up, but the world went black at the edges.

"Yeah, but you can help me clear it out once you're better." Spike eased her head up and pressed a cup of cold water to her lips. "Rubble's temporary, losin' you is permanent." He said grimly.

Buffy pushed the water away after a few grateful swallows, and pulled a handful of peroxide locks to her instead. "Be careful. I'm… I'm kind of invested in _both_ of us making it to morning."

* * *

One of two entrances blocked, the other barricaded, and then the trapdoor bolted and secured as well, Spike finally returned his attention to the sleeping beauty on the bed. Sleeping Beauty but battered looking, grime and sweat covered, bruises showing, clothing torn and stained. "If anyone tells you I'm only after your body, Luv, you remind 'em I'm crazy about you, even when you look like shit." He mumbled to himself before getting her more water. "Here, Slayer. Drink up and let's have a look at you. Ought to be feeling better by now, yeah? Heading back to full strength?"

Buffy blinked, sipped, and considered the question. "I guess so. I could tell more if I weren't so… tired. Or is it cold? I'm both, kinda."

Spike frowned and tilted his head to one side. He sniffed and looked at his bed. "Can I look at the patch job again?"

"My back? Sure, help yourself." Buffy tried to sit, then roll to her side, which she managed with Spike's help and a lot of colorful language. "Bad?"

"Not very tidy. But-uh- it's not infected lookin', no red bits, no puffy bits and the wound doesn't seem to be openin' more. I'd say your mojo is holding it's own now. Not actively working maybe, but it's stopping you from getting worse."

"But there's something you're not telling me?" Buffy sighed.

He tried to sound unconcerned. "Lost pressure on it at some point. We'll clean it up and rewrap and that'll stop the bleeding."

"I'm _still_ bleeding?" Buffy screeched angrily.

"Only a little bit!" Spike drew back fast. Injured and weak or not, chit's vocal cords packed a wallop. "I'm sorry, Slayer, bound to happen with all the movement of makin' the getaway and the tricky bits." _Like crashing walls and sliding under debris with inches to spare, leapin' off ladders…_

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just a - a little freaked." _Losing a lot of blood, bleeding out- it's the way most Slayers go. So mine's a hole in the back, not two littles ones in the neck. No, I'm going to be okay. Spike is going to help. I'm not going to die. From_ that, _anyway._

"I think this shirt's had it, Pet. I uh- I bet one of Harm's would do for you. And one for new bandages. Maybe a couple. Couldn't do much before, on the run." Spike left her on her side and went over to the pile of things in the corner. Out of the female clothes, most were Harm's left behinds, but a handful he'd nicked from the Slayer. He sighed.

"Here."

Buffy blinked as her own blue sweater appeared before her eyes, flung, albeit softly, in front of her face. "Hey." Her voice was puzzled, eyes cloudy as she reached for it.

"Before you say anything-"

"She used to rail on my fashion sense all the time. Ha. I had the exact same sweater."

"Buffy, I-"

"Good thing she _left this here_." Buffy said firmly.

 _She just - she gave me a pass._ "If you want to look in the pile, you can take anything of hers- anything you see that you might want. Really wasn't doin' me any good, having them sit there." J _ust another lie, another thing that makes me the evil, no-good one, one she can't trust._

"No. Really not. But- handy this time. Emergencies happen." Buffy said stiffly, but without any real anger in her voice.

"Sometimes… you just wish someone was around, wish it so much and everything you do to move things along backfires… an' you end up doin' and sayin' stupid things." Spike said in a low voice, ripping two shirts that actually had been left by his ex into strips.

"I know about broken wishes." Buffy felt him move past the end of the bed, and smiled when he knelt in front of her. "It's okay." She whispered. _"This_ time."

Spike nodded, gratitude in his eyes. "Gotta get the other shirt off. Want help?"

 _Do I want him to undress me?_ "Cue death by embarrassment." Buffy whimpered, but put her arms out in front of her.

"I'll close my eyes." Spike said. "Here, better idea. This shirt's rubbish, right?"

"Not even bleach can save the day." Buffy cracked a small half-smile.

"Hold the other one up to your chin, and I can cut it off from the back. I've already seen that part."

"You're being gentlemanly." Buffy accused, but gladly seized on the idea.

"I already think you're beautiful. What you show me doesn't matter as much as if I do right by you." Spike moved back behind her, one of his remaining knives in hand,making a deft incision at the collar, and then pulling the fabric in two carefully, so as not to jar her. "Late getting the idea, but I'm not as bright when my heart gets involved. Think if I'd done it from the beginning you'd have given me a chance?" He muttered, distracted by his work, hoping the answer wouldn't be too harsh.

Buffy considered. "No. So don't let what ifs make you crazy. I don't think I would have seen you like this without seeing the other side first. Nothing to compare to. And anyway- I do better with guys who have an 'edge'." She said in a resigned voice.

"You do, huh?" Spike smirked. Like that wasn't obvious- to everyone but her. "How'd you and White Bread end up together?"

"Oh, that. That was me confusing mysterious and secretive with edge. And also trying to pretend I'm more than 50% normal."

"Well, we all like a bit of pretend." Spike looked down on the back under his hands, only covered by the thin white stretch of fabric and hooks of her bra right now. The wound under it concerned him, the smooth skin around it tempted him. Easy to pretend the woman in his bed was his lover and he was patching her up, that this skin was his to kiss and she was his to comfort. _And there we go- back to bad again._ "I heated some water and got the first aid what not before I sealed us in."

Buffy tried not to hyperventilate. "Sealed in sounds bad."

"Locked them out." Spike amended. "An' we can get out if you want."

"No… no, I'm good, what were you saying?"

"I'm gonna do the medic bit with hot- well, warm now- water and alcohol that's meant for wounds, not whiskey. Then we'll wrap you up better."

"And hope it really stops this time. I'm getting - woozy."

"You _been_ woozy." Spike started wiping her down, part of him focused on the task at hand, part busy marveling that she was letting him. _Do. Not . Blow. This._

 _Sod that._ "I know a surefire way to stop the bleeding. Still have to get wrapped up to keep it clean."

Buffy's voice was a sharp cry, "I refuse to let you stitch me up. Unless blood is like, _pouring_ out." Buffy paused. "Is it?"

"No. But it's more than it should be, and it's been a few hours. I don't want it to get worse." He hesitated. A spasm of wanting, both the carnal and the desire to be useful to her, to be proven, dashed over his features. He let go of them slowly, regaining control. "The bandage should hold for now. Really no need for anything else."

"What were you going to say?" Buffy asked.

"Uh- you've heard." Spike paused as he rolled a pressure pad out of one of Harm's pink tees.

"Heard what?"

"Vampire spit. Seals bleeding wounds."

"What?" Buffy raised her head in alarm.

"Well, think about it. Fangs gotta nick things accidentally sometimes, spit's like a cauterizing agent if we want it to be. Kinda like releasing a venom- uh- a good kind of venom."

"You're saying- if you put your _spit_ on my _back_ \- it heals the wound?" Buffy demanded.

"No, seals the edges, so it'll stop bleedin'." Spike answered uncomfortably.

"Why didn't you bring that up before?"

Spike's jaw dropped. "Why didn't I-? I thought you'd clock me just for mentionin' it! And I figured you knew! You're a Slayer and you've been with a vamp, plus you've been bitten and didn't die so… yeah. Mostly I figured since it was me, you'd break my nose."

:"Because an excuse for you to taste my blood is totally what you would love."

"Yeah, that." _No. Yes and no. The idea of my mouth on your skin makes me forget all the finer things, even for a little bit._

"But you just did mention it."

"Things change. You know I'm willing to burn for you, so I hoped you would realize if you trust me to save your life, you can trust me to give you a little 'transfusion'."

Buffy bit her lip."That's true."

"Right, well, I said the bandages would- what'd you say?"

"It's true."

Spike watched her weak muscles try to tense. "Your mum ever wipe somethin' off your cheek?" He asked quietly.

"Huh? More Dawn. Dawnie and chocolate- her first love."

"Well, I'm willin' to bet it went somethin' like this." He licked his thumb, and traced one edge of the seeping wound. It slowly stopped bleeding on that side. "I didn't taste anything, and my- uh- my mouth is nowhere it doesn't belong, all right, Slayer? And you're not gonna keep bleeding on my sheets." _That's for later. Someday. If you ever want to find out the true meaning of love bite. Bloody hell, I need to go for a walk and I can't._

"That worked?"

"So far."

"Okay. Do your thing." And he did. Buffy was amazed at how fast he was done, her back rewrapped and his back turned as she struggled into the warm sweater. He helped her tug it down over her back once she gave the all clear for him to turn. "Feeling better already."

"That's all I wanted." Spike heaved a deep faux breath. "Not long now, Luv. Maybe under three."

"Thank God."

"You wanna sleep?"

"They're going to track us. The one up top probably will probably get here first."

"Maybe he's waiting for his pals."

"Maybe he's not."

"I shoulda brought the chair down." Spike grimaced, and sat on the footlocker sized chest at the end of the bed.

"How would it even fit?"

"I dunno. One of these days I'm gonna figure out how to put a telly down here."

"You never need a telly down here." Buffy laughed tiredly.

"You said you were too tired to flirt!" Spike accused, laughing shortly.

"I am. So I must've actually thought it. You can lay down if you want."

"No. No, I -uh- sitting's good enough. Need to be alert."

"Shouldn't I be alert, too, then?"

"Prob'ly. Part of me just likes the idea that I could keep you - you've been taking pity on a toothless vampire for a year now. Sometimes I earn my keep, tip offs, handful of helping out your lot, doing whatever I can, with typical screw ups… but you're right. Other times you've been weak, I looked at it like an opportunity to get one over on you, to get the win, you know. This way, this once, I'm helping you, like you help me. And at least in my head, I'm the good guy. Good guy- with an edge."

Buffy smiled. "A bunch of sharp, pointy ones."

"If the guy's heart is in the right place, you don't mind so much about the teeth." Spike nudged, smirking.

"I kinda base it on _soul_ in the right place." Buffy reminded him. Without looking she could _feel_ the crestfallen look. "But, as someone pointed out earlier, the actions can be bad or good, and souls don't really prevent the bad. I guess they help, but they don't determine."

"Easier to do bad without 'em. Humans who murder an' maim, they have to ignore a soul screaming to stop. Vampires- we have a demon eggin' us on."

"Then it's harder to do good without them? You have your own thing to tune out…" Buffy mused on this as she struggled to remain alert.

"Yeah. At first. I dunno. My demon's gotten a bit quiet around you, Slayer. Still prone to violence and certain wicked thoughts." He smirked. "Save the violence for other demonic types, and the wicked thought - not really too wicked, actually. But they're yours. Right. That's done." He scooted away from her rapidly, suddenly unsure if his confession, started out teasingly and heading into something deeper had just set him back.

She didn't say anything for a minute. Spike thought maybe she'd taken offense, then maybe she'd fallen back to sleep. He narrowed his eyes and listened intently to concentrate on a change in heart rate.

Buffy whispered, no careful pretext or clever quips now. "You said you're not as bright when your heart gets involved. I just wanted to say, I think it made you smarter. You're the first guy- in ever- to just tell me the truth and tell me what you were feeling. It didn't have to be some crisis between us to get the truth out."

"Nah, just a crisis around us." He let a low chuckle escape, hesitated, then eased down beside her, facing her this time as she rested on one side.

Buffy's heart thudded in an unexpected way at the genuine smile he had on his face, the twinkle in his deep blue eyes that was visible even in the almost nonexistent lighting. _He's - kind of beautiful. The smile's real. That makes all the difference._ "You're always brave, always willing to do the not-so-bright risk taking when your heart's involved. I get that. But I think this time you were smart, on all kinds of levels."

"Well, this time's different." Spike swallowed. One hand came up and lightly stroked her blonde hair, letting a damp tendril curl around his finer before moving it hastily away. "The way I felt- the way I _feel_ about you- I never felt about anyone else. Not Dru, or Harm- or anyone. Take that how you like, Luv. It's the truth."

 _I don't know exactly how I feel about him, either. But I've been confused before, that much is for sure_. "Thank you." Buffy dragged her hand up and found his.

 _She's holding onto my hand, her soft little one, one that could crush my windpipe just as easily. She's holding onto it in my bed. While she's "weak' and it means he trusts me._ He shifted, a frustrated, wanting sound coming out before it was swiftly forced back down.

Buffy sluggishly shifted as well. Both of them had, hips, heads, and hands, all closer together. In spite of the intensity of her pain, she noticed a new one, an aching in the the one soft spot no one had managed to hurt tonight. Inside her aching body all the soft pink walls did their own painful, curious throb.

"We gotta get you better." Spike murmured, his hand against her cheek.

"I know." She replied almost too quickly. It was scary to think about this. About the ache under all the other aches, the pulling sensation that made her curious and want to risk everything again, to give into the ideas that he- could be someone she could release those urges with.

"We need a plan, because eventually they'll find us. Killing them is the first step to makin' sure you get better an' stay that way." He pushed physical urges back as hard as he could, willed his brain up front and center.

"Wait until morning and I'll have my powers back."

"But you won't be a hundred percent as soon as the sun hits. The wound got a bit worse before it got a chance to get better. We talk about the day coming like it's the cure all."

" _We both_ did." She reminded him.

"Before we had a few scrapes and falls along the way."

"Spike, I can't stay here longer." _Even if this is kind of weirdly nice. Even if just being alone with Spike, as bad as the situation is, gives me some kind of a break_. "You know they need me." Buffy whispered determinedly.

 _I know_ I _need her. The bloody world needs her._ "I think we gotta kill 'em, get one to talk before we off him, and get your Watcher over here to get you to a safe spot in town. Heal you up and get you away from this bitch and anything else hunting you."

"I have to be where my family is- where my friends are." Buffy tried to sit, but he shook his head, meaning physical bravado was not needed. "I'm not her real target."

"No, but you are the _one thing_ keeping her from it." Spike ground out.

"I already tried to get Giles to take them into hiding." Buffy admitted in a somewhat defeated tone.

"What, without you? Never work." Spike snorted. "You need to move the whole lot of you or dig in deep here. But they don't stand a chance without you."

"I can't leave the city with Glory in it." Buffy shook her desperately. "This is- this is what sucks, Spike. Slayers aren't supposed to have friends and family to make them vulnerable, and normal college students aren't supposed to worry about fighting off ancient, evil gods."

Spike gathered his features into a sudden sharp frown and held it.

"What, I can't complain about being totally non-match-y things?" Buffy demanded, waiting for the guilt trip. Angel's about not embracing the Slayer, Riley's about not maintaining normal girlfriend expectations.

"No, you can. But it's perfect. You're so bloody perfect!" He seized her face with both hands and gave her a resounding kiss on the forehead. "I've got it. They want to numb the Slayer piece and deal with a puny little scrap of a thing, we'll deliver."

"Do you sound crazy, or is it the blood loss ?" Buffy asked, eyes wide and forehead feeling more like it had been smacked than kissed.

"Both, prolly." Spike was a blur around the room, one she couldn't turn fast enough to keep up with, so she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Explanations?" Buffy finally asked as he pushed a few things around under the bed, and rummaged in his footlocker.

Spike stopped, head popping up in front of hers, his normally slick hair half tousled and streaked with dirt and soot. There was a massive grin on his face, a pleased, "I'm a sneaky bastard and I'm going to win" smile. "You, Slayer, have one effed up life- and it's why you're the ultimate fighter. You have this- this ruddy angelic beauty combined with a set of moves that can dust a bloke in ten seconds flat. You look like prey and you're the hunter. You're the soddin' siren!" He paused, smile softening. "And you don't abuse that power. That's what makes you not just someone good- but good itself." The smile wavered, cracked, and disappeared. "An' I see why you wouldn't want to be with someone evil, in any way evil, because it's just the polar opposite of what you are."

"Spike-" Buffy found herself wanting to contradict him, especially on that last part, but he wasn't giving her a chance.

"That last bit doesn't matter now, what matters is that you are the best bloody ace up the sleeve in the world, and we're gonna use it." He reached down and lifted up a cross bow and a shot gun, dropping them on the bed beside her, making Buffy pull back slightly.

"What…?" Buffy blinked and trailed off.

"How'd you like to join me in some Little Red Ridin' Hood action?" Spike asked with a very predatory grin.

Buffy swallowed. "I'm the helpless little girl?"

* * *

"Oh no, Baby. You're the _wolf_." The teeth flashed wider, matching the gleam of his eyes in the dark.

Buffy tensed. After what seemed like days of waiting, but was at best an hour, something had happened. Above her, she heard the shattering and battering of boots and fists and who knows what else on the crypt, tearing it apart, until they'd find the trap door. Spike had removed some of the obstacles on this side, enough to make them work for it, enough for them not to question the lack of defense.

"How many?" Buffy breathed under the covers, pulled up to her hairline.

Candles now extinguished, she couldn't see the fingers he was holding up. She heard three soft taps beside her head. "Three." She confirmed, word breathed out, and then air clenched back into her lungs and she held it as the sound of breaking iron and stone crashed into the basement a few feet from the foot of the bed.

"Where's the vampire?"

"Where's the girl?"

Buffy lay face up, one arm on a pillow, that pillow across her chest, and thick quilted comforter pulled up to cover it all completely.

"There's rocks sealing the back way." One guttural voice hissed.

"She can't honestly be hiding in the bed."

"She was weak. Dying, maybe. Fading." All voices paused. A low chuckle. "We can hear you breathing. Scared, short little bits of breathing." This time the chuckling was tri-fold, gleeful. "Poor little thing, hiding in her pet demon's bed. Wonder if he's curled up in there, her teddy bear with fangs."

 _Ooh. He's gonna kill that one a little extra hard_. Buffy smiled and stiffened her weakened shoulders, ready for what must surely happen next.

"You take the girl from the bed. There's only one body there, you can see that."

"Well, he's still nearby, I can feel it." Another argued.

Two voices talking, a third one unspeaking but approaching with fast footsteps, sure in the dark, ripped the comforter from the bed with a triumphant snarl.

The last sound he ever made.

Buffy's finger pulled the trigger and the crossbow bolt went through the neck, her elbow crooking her arm and her aim up nicely. "May be weak, but I can still move a finger." Buffy smiled as the body toppled back, dead in an instant.

"No!" The two beings remaining rushed forward to their fallen comrade.

"You'll suffer before you die!"

"You won't. Sadly." Buffy felt a cold rush wash over her, waiting for the sound, wincing in anticipation.

The shotgun blast went off underneath her, and as one body fell, a smoking hole in its center, another body rose up. Spike tore from his hiding spot under the bed, golden eyes flaring, fangs flashing, the last demon his new target.

Buffy collapsed back, ears ringing. Through the din she heard Spike growl, "Before you die, you should know- with that one, it isn't fear." He turned the grotesque smile to her, and she found herself smiling back. "Pure adrenaline."

* * *

Spike dragged the now unconscious survivor up the ladder and threw him on the floor. He carried Buffy upstairs, much more gently, and thoughtfully placed her in a the chair which he'd already moved to face the tiny dingy culvert that served as a window.

"Remember what I said about violent urges, Slayer?" He rasped against her ear.

"On other demons." She recalled.

"You have to tell me what questions to ask- you don't have to watch how I get the answers."

In the gray shadowed room, she could see his face was a mask of hunger and worry, all wound up together. "I share the urges on this one." She winced as she tried to find a comfortable position. "I'm the wolf, remember?" She managed a weary smirk as she looked ip at him. "No lost little lamb this time."

"I like you like this." He began to bend, then hurriedly pulled himself back. "Ha. Violent urges now- wicked thoughts later." Spike chuckled, almost nervously, trying to make his voice lighter.

Buffy didn't break her gaze. "Later. Maybe later will work out." _What am I saying? What am I thinking?_ "But -um- you have info to get. I have a hole in my back to stitch up, and your bedroom? Ugh."

"I know. The only dead guests I like are vamps. Face it, if the fourth one is alive or if anyone figures out where they went, I don't stand a chance stayin' here. This place is burned, Luv."

 _He gave up his home for me. It's a freaky home, but it is hi_ s. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't really mind losin' the place, as long as I don't lose you. So. Right. Better go figure out what this one knows."

* * *

Buffy expected "torturing" to make her feel more squeamish. Maybe it didn't since these guys were not only a threat to her, but to Dawnie. Or because she'd been mentally and indirectly physically tortured for the entire evening by them. Most likely it was because Spike, for all his bravado, wasn't as much about his follow through as he was about his creativity. Just hearing the horrible things Spike said would prompt an outpouring of information.

"How many of you are left? Let's count, shall we?" Spike grabbed his captive's hand and started ticking off fingers, with his unorthodox method of breaking the bones. "There's one dead in the tunnel you chased us in…" A grunt. "One blown to bits on my nice dirty floor downstairs…" A gasp of pain. "One bled out by the girl you tried to turn into a helpless victim…" An outright scream. "There's you- who, by the way, I'm plannin' to tear your tongue straight outta your head mate, 'cause you said some very unsociable things earlier. But maybe-" A vicious crack, "if you help us out with some information, I'll leave it alone. I might even leave your head on your body." Spike said smoothly. "You were nice enough to offer me a deal, I'll offer you one."

Buffy closed her eyes and grinned. _He must be great at poker. For a few seconds, I couldn't even tell he was bluffing._

"There's one left- guarding the back of the cemetery. He will come with me, he will not leave until I order it, but once we are free to go, neither of us will report to Glory or trouble you again." The Aur k'Ach appeased.

 _No, you won't._ In two minds, one thought blazed.

"Is he the one the Slayer hurt pretty bad?"

"His injuries are severe but not fatal."

 _So you think._ Another twinned thought.

"Why is Glory after me?" Buffy asked quietly.

"The lady asks, you answer. Or I decide you don't need your tongue anymore. Clear?"

The answer fairly flew in response. "You are a threat- you've been interfering in her plans."

"What else?"

"I don't know what you-" A sudden sharp crack , some much larger bone- earned a scream and then an admission. "You are in the way of her work- and of her Key! She knows you are protecting whoever it is."

Silence. Buffy's heart thudded into the ice cold depths of her stomach. S _he knows it's human. For sure she knows it's a "who", not a "what"._ "Who does she think it is?"

"I don't know." Another horrible shattering sound, a screaming howl that werewolves would envy, and a babbled "I don't know! She doesn't know, we don't know, no one knows, except it's someone the Slayer is protecting. We took the job for the bounty and to avenge our cousin clan, killed in the town magic shop! I've told you all I know!"

"He's telling the truth, Luv. I can always tell by the pitch in a scream- an the wet trousers. He's a bit of a coward without four others backing him up, letting hi make the threats and insinuations."

"I apologize. You clearly are not a- a weak vampire. Maybe you have a weakness for the female, but she is attractive as humans go, very beddable."

Buffy winced at the sound- one she could only describe as "gross." No more words came from their informant, just the sound of Spike's fading growl.

"Be right back." Spike said cheerfully. Buffy heard dragging and the door scraping open. Shouts and scuffling and another scream. "Spike?"

"Be back in a tick, Luv, gotta wash up." Still chipper sounding, actually whistling jauntily. "Figure number five would come runnin' when he heard the ringleader scream. Two dead out front, two dead downstairs. We throw one hell of a party, Slayer."

"What was that -sound?" Buffy's morbid curiosity forced her to ask.

"I kept my word. He kept his head, tongue as well. His heart may have done a rapid exit via my hand in his chest, but I never said that was off limits." Spike's amiable tone turned to dark muttering. "Weak… beddable… jam his head in a vise an' twist…"

"I can hear you." Buffy reminded him.

"Not everything, I hope."

"No." She laughed lightly. "Is it- daylight?"

"It will be in a bit. How are you?"

"Better." Buffy smiled as he turned the chair back to face the interior. the smile faded. Blood and breakage everywhere. "Oh, Spike…"

"You don't wanna see the downstairs. Bedspread's a complete write off, I'm afraid."

"I'll pay you back, I might need a-"

"You owe me nothing. I was clear about that." Spike cut her off firmly.

Buffy painfully rose, surprising him, but his arms were quickly out to support her as she teetered. "Then I guess this is just a gift between friends."

Spike was the one who felt his knees go weak- and then brace up, lean in and lift her soft, shorter form up as she gave him the kind of kiss you only dream about. Hard and hot and clinging, tinged with exhaustion and frustration. Perfectly real, no fairytale, no fantasy. Those weren't real. "Just the way I like it." He whispered when he set her down. "C'mon. You're still not in walking shape and the light's risin'. Let's give your Watcher a call."

* * *

They shuffled across the grass as the stars faded. "Hurts way less." Buffy said, eyes over his shoulder, looking at the carnage on the grass, bodies dumped like trash.

"Good."

"That was really -uh- hardcore. The last part."

"I know. Nice to get my hands dirty again. You know, for a good cause." Spike snickered.

"Nice save." She laughed back.

"But you believe me, don't you, Slayer?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Buffy cleared her dry throat. "That thing you said?"

"I said so many bloody things, Luv. It's been a long night." _Finally spent the night with her. Ended up in my bed._

 _I need to narrow down my dirty daydreams about gettin_ _' her in the bedroom, because this one went a bit wide of the mark._

"You said I was good. And you aren't."

"True." A melancholy smile, a shrug they could both feel.

"I said that too."

"Your anthem, Slayer."

"You did what you did, to save me, and save my family."

"Well, of course I did!" Spike looked at her indignantly. "What'd you think I was gonna do, leave you to die, let them be next for the chop? An' let's not forget the entire world goin' to hell along with 'em."

Her eyes glinted up at him, head suddenly tilted all the way up, anchoring his eyes with her own. "But you're a demon. You play for the hell team."

"Yeah… well, I'm s'posed to." He admitted uncomfortably.

"But you don't. Anymore. Anything you did tonight, anything 'bad', wasn't actually bad when you're trying to save the world and the- the people you care for."

"So… What does that mean, between us?" Spike asked.

"That you're a good guy fighting evil, even inside himself- and that's good enough for me." Buffy told him, shocking them both.

This time, he kissed her. And kept kissing her, all the way to the phone booth on the other side of the hill, as the sun finally rose over it, and shone down on them.

* * *

 _Epilogue to follow…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Dusk 'til Dawn**

 **by Sweetprincipale**

 _During season five, a powerless Buffy needs to make a play for time to keep herself alive and keep Glory and company away from her family. Buffy's not sure if Spike will come through for her, especially when he might finally have a chance to get rid of her. his actions convince Buffy that he is more than an ally, he's a friend, and opens her eyes to the possibility that he's even more than that._

 _Dedicated to: WriterDragonfly, Illusera, juggling, The SoulChaser, notashamedtobe, RedStalkingDeath,_ _sbyamibakura_ _,_ _rpfan1976_ _, whiters, TieDyeJackson, Jauntilyaskew, Jhiz, Marty Powell, Ginger0826, CalanthaS, JackieMack916, RAGAnne, and_ _omslagspapper_ _._

 _Nothing of Buffy belongs to me, except my sincere admiration. However, this story is all mine._

 **Epilogue**

Giles pulled up at breakneck speed, tires bouncing over the curb as he found the phone booth Buffy had described in her daybreak call, down the hill from Restview, on the extremely dank side of town. He flung himself from the car, stumbling in untucked, unbuttoned shirt, askew glasses, and feet skidding in unlaced wingtips.

"Buffy! What in the… world… happened? Buffy?" Giles pried back the plastic door and poked at the black leather tent inside the call box.

Buffy didn't answer. Her mouth was full of Spike's, his arms full of her body. A body which was obviously injured, Giles could tell at a glance, from the way she lay in his arms. _Lay in his arms?_ "Buffy! What in the name of all that's holy or un are you doing?"

"Oi- gettin' bright out." Spike protested as his coat shifted and the new dawn sliced through the thick plastic walls of their waiting space.

"You said you'd been badly hurt, and we needed to plan an escape route. Is- are we- who are you escaping from?" His eyes flitted to Spike and back to her.

"The escape plan's going to take a few days." Buffy reluctantly pushed off of Spike and fell into Giles.

"Good Lord. Your back- it is your back, isn't it?" Her posture, her upper body, her legs- nothing bore her weight properly.

"But she can stand now. That's a big improvement." Spike took one arm, the Watcher took the other, and they hustled to the car, Spike trying to keep his coat over him as well as help Buffy.

"What the hell happened? Both of you look dreadful! I saw you last night and now this morning you're-"

"A lot can happen in one night." Buffy smiled weakly at the Watcher before gesturing to her companion. "Get in, Spike."

"Me?"

"Tell him to get in, Giles."

"Spike?" Giles stared at the girl, then the vampire.

"Spike. Giles. All of us. In the car. _Now_." Buffy parsed it out.

"My place-" Spike gestured vaguely back over the hill.

"Isn't safe."

"Luv, the librarian can manage." He paused. Waiting for her to realize she could walk away now- and seeing if she would.

"Yeah, and you can find someplace else to stay on your own, but we're not doing that. We'll help you. You help us. We can come back and get your stuff, and we'll be going to get my stuff. We're working together."

"We are? A-are you positive you're working together- erm- that 'closely'?" Giles asked delicately, fighting off feelings of bewilderment.

"Working together, yes. Details later- I've been used as a pincushion by stab-happy demons and Spike's going to get crispy."

"Stab- what? Heavens. Yes, first things first, in the car, tell me what happened." Giles bolted to the driver's seat, leaving them in the back.

Buffy looked at Spike and felt something warm and happy under all the layers of stress and pain. He scooted in beside her, and grinned. "Like this idea, us workin' together."

She replied, low enough for only him to hear, "Working together. Yep."

" _Closely_?" He mouthed, one streaked eyebrow arching, trying to look confident and failing when you added it to the wistful, hopeful eyes underneath.

Buffy smiled and squeezed his hand, her eyes somehow managing to say so much more than words could ever convey. "Maybe."

* * *

 _Keep an eye out for the one shot "bridge" between challenges, "Making it to Maybe". Coming in March, I hope!_ _  
_


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